16 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIRDS. 
clearly enougli, that in a liot climate it would not do to make 
tliem close and warm, or in a cold climate, open. 
It stands to reason, in the one case, that the young would 
be suffocated, in the other, frozen. 
Furthermore, continues the orator, it is all fal lal ! the as- 
sertion that my young are taught by any such thing as in- 
instinct when to pierce the shell ; the principle of life has 
germinated, as it does in a grain of corn, in a certain number 
of days, under the warmth of my breast, and when the little 
fellows begin to get strong, they kick and scuffle in their 
prison, and a small sharp cone, on the top of the beak, (which 
was put there for the purpose, and drops off in a few days,) 
soon cracks the shell, while they are struggling, and then we 
help them out. 
And furthermore, my younglings are just as innocently 
silly as your j^ounglings, or any other young geese, and will 
run into the water, or into the fire just as soon as others, 
until they have burnt their toes, or got themselves half- 
drowned for their curiosity, and then, as this is not pleasant, 
they are satisfied to keep themselves out of such scrapes. 
Do I not go with them all the summer, keeping them out 
of difficulties, coaxing and scolding, learning them how to 
fly, how to catch bugs, chase butterflies, find caterpillars, to 
hide from their enemies, plume themselves, and sing ; and 
can't you understand, that yet, though I cannot speak He- 
brew or English, I speak the Oriole tongue, and learn them 
to speak and comprehend it, that I may teach them the morals 
and religion of the Orioles ! 
Faugh ! instinct indeed ! Don't you perceive they are reg- 
ularly educated f If you great, stupid, clumsy animals, only 
had feathers on, there might be a faint hope of your learning 
something ! 
We think this will be recognized as a very unctuous and 
edifying discourse of our Parson's ; such are his more didatic 
teachings ; of the others you have heard. 
But we must confess that the Parson, with all our respect 
