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Young birds are not proper for prefervation till the 
fecond year, becaufe they do not, till then, acquire 
their proportions and colours, which may occafion 
their being miftaken for other fpecies ; neither is it 
always poflible in the firft year, to diftinguifh the 
fex of birds, which is very eafy afterwards when they 
arrive at maturity ; however, by grouping young 
birds in their nefts, we may preferve them at any 
time, and when managed in that way they certainly 
add greatly to a collection. 
This naturally leads me to what, in my opinion, 
is by much the moft ingenious and entertaining part 
of this kind of ftudy, I mean the attitudes and aCtions 
of birds ; all the reft is merely mechanical, but this 
admits of fancy, tafte, and judgment. Without a 
proper attention to this, however found your pre- 
fervation, how vivid foever the plumage may be, 
your birds are (till nothing but meer dead birds j 
but by a fkilful management of attitudes and aCtions, 
you, as it were, animate them, they feem alive, mov- 
ing and adting, we 
“ Liften attentive, wond’ring, that no found 
“ Efcapes the bufy throng.” 
Though this part certainly depends in a great degree 
on tafte and judgment, yet an accurate obferver of 
Nature will derive much information from noticeing 
the appearance of living birds, in the attitudes and 
aCtions which he wifhes to exprefs in his preferva- 
tions : the moft piCturefque attitude fhould be fixed 
upon, and propriety obferved in chufing fuch as are 
moft exprefiive of the particular qualities of each 
bird, , 
