254 
THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
a note of song. Even the animals that in other 
respects approximate nearest to his form and 
lineaments, and which have been claimed to be 
his progenitors, as the ourangs and gorillas, have 
utterly failed to pronounce the shibboleth that 
would justify a claim to kindredship. Nor 
have they ever given proof, by aught of ‘ oaten 
stop or pastoral song,’ that they have any mu¬ 
sic in their souls. Their only claims to the 
high eminence demanded for them by their 
human admirers are based on a grotesque cari¬ 
cature of the human form; and it may be also 
from an undue exhibition of animal depravity 
and love of mischief They low and bray, 
bark and whine, roar and scream, as did their 
ancestors, pitched to the same harsh key, ex¬ 
pressive only of natural wants, fear, or defiance. 
Language is the peculiar prerogative of 
man, but the birds have fairly trenched upon 
his high gifts and wrested some of his vocab¬ 
ulary from his exclusive use. As is well known, 
the parrots have not only been able to articulate 
words, but also to form them into intelligent 
sentences. They often use language timely and 
appropriate, apparently with conception more 
or less clear of the meaning of the words ut- 
