ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 
291 
plunder. Your sparrow will retain its wonted pert- Preserving 
ness, by means of placing his tail a little elevated,-— 
and giving a moderate arch to the neck. Your 
vulture will show his sluggish habits, by having his 
body nearly parallel to the earth ; his wings some¬ 
what drooping, and their extremities under the tail, 
instead of above it,—expressive of ignoble indolence. 
Your dove will be in artless, fearless innocence; 
looking mildly at you, with its neck, not too much, 
stretched, as if uneasy in its situation; or drawn too 
close into the shoulders, like one wishing to avoid a 
discovery; but in moderate, perpendicular length, 
supporting the head horizontally, which will set off 
the breast to the best advantage. And the breast 
ought to be conspicuous, and have this attention paid 
to it; for when a young lady is sweet and gentle in 
her manners ; kind and affable to those around her; 
when her eyes stand in tears of pity for the woes of 
others, and she puts a small portion of what Provi¬ 
dence has blessed her with into the hand of imploring 
poverty and hunger, then w r e say, she has the breast 
of a turtle dove. 
You will observe how beautifullv the feathers of The 
J . feathers. 
a bird are arranged; one falling over the other in 
nicest order; and that, where this charming harmony 
is interrupted, the defect, though not noticed by an 
ordinary spectator, will appear immediately to the 
eye of a naturalist. Thus, a bird not wounded, and 
in perfect feather, must be procured if possible; for 
the loss of feathers can seldom be made good; and 
where the deficiency is great, all the skill of the 
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