[ 16+ 3 
to me a nightingale, which had been but a few 
hours in a cage, and which burft forth in a roar of 
fon g- 
At the fame time this bird is fo fulky on its firft 
confinement, that he muft be crammed for feven or 
eight days, as he will otherwife not feed himfelf: 
it is alfo neceffary to tye his wings, to prevent 
his killing himfelf againft the top or fides of the 
cage. 
I believe there is no inftance of any bird’s finging 
which exceeds our blackbird in fize ; and poffibly 
this may arile from the difficulty of its concealing it- 
felf, if it called the attention of its enemies, not only 
by bulk, but by the proportionable loudnefs of its 
notes 
I fhould rather conceive, it is for the fame reafon 
that no hen-bird lings, becaufe this talent would be 
ftill more dangerous during incubation ; which may 
poffibly alfo account for the inferiority in point of 
plumage. 
I ffiall now confider how far the finging of birds 
refembles our known mulical intervals, which are 
never marked more minutely than to half notes 5 be- 
caufe, though we can form every gradation from 
half-note to half-note, by drawing the finger gently 
over the firing of a violin, or covering by degrees the 
hole of a flute; yet we cannot produce fuch a minute 
interval at command, when a quarter-note for ex- 
ample might be required. 
Ligon, indeed, in his hifiory of Barbadoes, hath 
the following paflage : “ The next bird is of the co- 
* For the fame reafon, moll large birds are wilder than the 
fiiialler ones» 
** lour 
6 
