VOICES OF BIRDS. 
299 
infant flowers are in the copse and the mead, and all 
Ms telling- of gratulation and of joy. The children 
this well known sound— spring out, and “ cuckoo ! 
Sf c koo ! ” as they gambol down the lane. The very 
Mhb'oy bids him welcome in the early morn. It is 
My spring without the cuckoo’s, song ; and, having 
his tale, he has voice for no more.— is sileut or 
V 
«“ Then comes the dark, swift winged martin, glancing 
Sugh the air, that seems afraid to visit our uncertain 
fSe : he comes, though late, and hurries through his 
Mess here, eager again to depart, all day long in 
station and precipitate flight. The bland zephyrs of 
- sprint have no charms with them, hut, basking and 
Nu-ino- in the sultry gleams of June and July, they 
Nciate in throngs, and, screaming, dash round the 
>ph; or the ruined tower, to serenade their nesting 
Ms, and glare and heat are iu their train. When 
ij '' fervour of summer ceases, this bird ot the sun will 
rl'art. The evening robin, from the summit of some 
Mss hough, or projecting point, tells us that autumn 
and brings matured fruits, chilly airs, and 
hours, and he, the lonely minstrel now that sings, 
Understood by all. These four birds thus indicate a 
Mate season, have no interference with the iutelli- 
Mo of the other, nor could they be transposed 
i "Tout the loss of all the meaning they convey, which 
? contrivance of art could supply, and, by long 
Miatiou they have become identified with the 
Md, and in peculiar accordance with the time. 
“ We note birds in general more from their voices 
M their plumage, for the carols of spring may be 
Md involuntarily, but to observe the form and 
ration of these creatures requires an attention not 
ijays given. Yet we have some native birds beauti- 
»?%■ and conspicuously feathered, — the goldfinch, the 
Minch the wagtails, are all eminently adorned, and 
> fine gradations of sober browns in severa others 
,7 Very pleasing. Those sweet sounds, called the song- 
Vds, proceed only from the male, and, with a tew 
