PREFACE. 241 
but of difficulties ; and therefore, whether they 
wintered in ./Egypt or not, fignified little ; and 
indeed it was only fuppofing them to go a little 
further, viz. into iEthiopia^ and there they might 
meet Jupiter at his annual viflt, jmeff oifxvfjLovas 
AAor&mg, and have thp gift of prophecy con- 
ferred upon them, or confirmed. Agreeably to 
thefe notions we find feveral birds were looked 
upon as facred to particular gods ; thus the owl 
to Minerva, the peacock to Juno, the eagle to 
Jupiter, the crow to Apollo whofe meffenger he 
was called as appears by Hefiod. 
Some will be apt to think that i have dwelt 
much longer upon this fubjed that it deferved ; 
but i cannot help thinking, that even the infir- 
mities of the human mind, efpecially fuch as 
have like this prevailed amongfl the mofb ingeni- 
ous and fagacious people we read of, and for a 
long courfe of time influenced their mod ferious 
concerns, ought to be looked upon as not below 
our notice. 
It may feem wonderful to fome, that natura- 
lifts have been fo long without being able to 
determine any thing certain about the date of fe- 
veral birds when they difappear. The belt wri- 
ters have given it as their opinion, that fwallows 
lye under water all winter; one of the lated or- 
nithologifls, a writer of great charader, falls into 
this opinion, and the author of the following Ca- 
lendar adopts it ; and indeed till Monf. Adanfon 
cleared up this point, it mull appear a problema- 
tical point to any man. But though the migra- 
tion of this bird is at lad determined, -yet what 
becomes of the nightingale , the cuckow , the 
goat -facker' ) and feveral others, is dill undecided. 
R v Nor- 
