ORA 
greatest ease, and taught to speak with 
greater facility than even the parrot, and 
also enounces its words with more distinct- 
ness. It feeds on berries and fruits, and is 
particularly partial to cherries. When re- 
fused its wishes, it is stated to express sounds 
of disappointment and vexation extremely 
like the crying. of a child. 
The paradisoea tristis is rather larger 
than the former, and inhabits the Philippine 
Islands. It is exceedingly voracious, and 
has been known to swallow a young rat 
nearly two inches long, after beating it 
against the wires of its cage to soften it. It 
alights on the backs of oxen in its uncon- 
tined state, and devours the vermin which 
annoy them. These birds are particularly 
fond of grasshoppers, and are stated to have 
been imported into the Isle of Bourbon, 
purposely to extirpate those consuming in- 
sects which they have effectually accom- 
plished. Being as they are, however, highly 
prolific birds, devouring every species of 
fruits and grain, and occasionally entering 
pigeon-houses and destroying the young, 
the inhabitants of the island have often 
found their depredations greater than those 
of the enemy which they were called in to 
extirpate. 
G. quiscula, or the purple grakle, inha- 
bits Carolina, and other parts of North 
America, and also the Island of Jamaica. 
It is a very considerable nuisance to the 
farmers of those countries, by scratching up 
the maize seed almost as soon as it is put 
into the ground. When the leaf appeals, 
these purple daws, as they are called, will 
often tear up the plant by the roots ; and 
when the maize is ripe they commit their 
depredations upon it in immense flocks, 
insomuch that premiums have been occa- 
sionally given for the destruction of them. 
They are, however, extremely serviceable 
by devouring insects. They pass the great- 
est part of the winter in swamps, overhung 
with woods ; from which, on days of fine 
weather, they make, their appearance 
abroad. Their flesh is far from being ex- 
cellent, but their notes are melodious. 
GRAIN, the name of a small weight, 
the twentieth pavt of a scruple in apothe- 
caries weight, and the twenty-fourth of a 
pennyweight troy. See Weight. 
A grain-weight of gold-bullion is worth 
about two pence, and that of silver half a 
farthing. 
Grain also denotes the component par- 
ticles of stones and metals, the veins of 
wood, &c. Hence cross-grained, or against 
GRA 
the grain, is contrary to the fibres of wood, 
&c. 
GRAINING hoard, among curriers, an 
instrument called also a pummel, used to 
give a grain to their leather. See Curry* 
ING. 
GRAMMAR, l. The grammar of any 
language is a set of rules and observations, 
directing to the proper use of the sorts of 
words composing that language. These 
ndes are founded upon the general usage of 
good writers ; and after this is ascertained,, 
it is customary for those who are desirous 
of speaking and writing correctly, to be 
uniformly guided by it. Grammarians, 
then, do not make a language ; but they 
are formed by an enlightened view of the 
language, and afterwards direct the employ- 
ment of it. 
2. The art of grammar is sometimes di- 
vided into four parts: Orthography, Ety- 
mology, Syntax, and Prosody. The first 
and last of these have nothing to do with 
grammar, except so far as they relate to the 
grammatical changes made on different 
sorts of words. Etymology refers to the 
arrangements of the sorts of words, and to 
the various changes which are made upon 
them. Syntax directs the employment of 
those changes, and the situation of the dif- 
ferent sorts of words in a sentence. 
3. Hitherto grammar has been spoken of 
as an art, but it is in no way our intention 
to enlarge upon it in this view. Those who 
wish to study it in order to guide their use 
of the English language, we refer to Mr. 
Murray’s “ Grammar,” and Dr. Crombie’s 
work on “ Etymology and Syntax and in 
the latter, many valuable remarks will be 
found, respecting scientific grammar. Con- 
sidered as a science, grammar lias for its 
object those principles on which its rules 
are founded. Scientific grammar discusses 
the grounds of the classification of words, 
and investigates the reasons of those proce- 
dures which the art of grammar lays down 
for our observance. 
4. Grammar, as an art, refers only to par- 
ticular languages ; because it would be im- 
possible to lay down any system of rules 
which would apply to two languages. We 
may point out in what respects the gram- 
mars of two languages agree ; but we can- 
not form a common grammar for both. To 
a certain extent, the principles of scientific 
grammar are general, and some of them 
may be said to be universal. The laws of the 
human mind are the same in all ages, and 
in all nations; and of those causes which have 
