ORNITHOLOGY. 
peculiarity in ravens that mud ftrike the mod: incurious 
obferver : they fpend all their leifure time in diving and 
cuffing at each other on the wing in a playful manner j 
and, when they move from one place to another, fre¬ 
quently turn on their backs with a loud croak, as if 
about to fall to the ground. When this accident hap¬ 
pens, they are Scratching themfelves with one foot, and 
thus iofe their centre of gravity. Parrots, like all other 
hook-clawed birds, walk awkwardly,and make ufeof their 
bill as a third foot, climbing and defcending with ridi¬ 
culous caution. All the order of gallinse (poultry) pa¬ 
rade and walk gracefully, and run fvviftly ; they fly how¬ 
ever with difficulty, and in a draight line, with an im¬ 
petuous noil’e. Mod of the fmall birds fly by jerks, or 
hop when on the ground ; the Iky lark rifes and falls per¬ 
pendicularly while it tings ; the woodlark hangs poifed 
in the air ; and the titlark riles and falls in large curves, 
and is melodious only while defcending. 
Several observations worthy the notice of the naturalid 
are obtained from the flight of birds, and their uni¬ 
form appearance in particular places at dated feafons. A 
confiderable part of the fuperditions in the polytheifm of 
ancient Greece and Rome had no other foundation than 
the accidental flight of birds, or their manner of taking 
their food. A great body of their priefts were called aruj- 
pices, from their being employed watching the motions of 
thefe animals. An enterprife was deemed aufpicious, or 
the contrary, according as their motions were reported 
favourable or otherwife. But, fuperftition apart, theex- 
erienced failor derives information from the flight of 
irds, in which he is deeply intereded. The man-of-war 
bird has a very different flight at fea from what it has 
•when near the land: in the former cafe, it foars high in 
the region of the air, and its motion is (low ; in the lat¬ 
ter, it flies much quicker, and nearer to the furface of 
the water. Hence Tailors, by obferving its manner of 
flight, can conjecture pretty nearly their didance from 
land. The Phaeton setherius is another bird whofe ap¬ 
pearance is ufeful to navigators. It is always found with¬ 
in the tropics, never venturing to the north or fouth of 
either^ whenever then this bird is obferved,the feamenare 
with certainty informed of their being in the intra-tro- 
pical latitudes. There is alfo a bird of a peculiar nature, 
found always within a fliort didance of the Cape of Good 
Hope, and therefore called the Procellaria Capenfis: as 
the appearance of this bird indicates to the failors their 
approach to the Cape, it is often ufeful to the Indiamen 
in doubling that promontory. The Procellaria pelagica, 
as often as it approaches a (hip, and gets into the wake, 
the failors, by condant obfervation, find that they are 
invariably overtaken by a dorm. This fowl is called by 
the Englifh the petterel; but, from its being thus a bird 
of bad omen, the mariners have denominated it the devil's 
chicken. In the northern parts of Scotland, the people 
employed in the herring-filhery are often indebted to the 
Larus parafiticus, and the folan goofe, for difcovering the 
dioals of filhes. The birds that feed upon herrings are 
indeed the fured guides of the fifliers 5 both are engaged 
in the fame employment; both are in qued of the fame 
objeft. 
From the appearance of birds in this ifland of the in¬ 
terior and more northerly regions of the world, we judge 
of the feverity of the winter, and intenfenefs of the froft. 
When the fwans and fnow flecks abound in the north of 
Scotland, they are deemed the infallible predictors of a 
great ftorm. The woodcock too, and fieldfare, are the re¬ 
gular harbingers of winter ; .whereas the cuckoo and the 
rail never fail to announce the approach of fummer. 
From their food, their manner of life, and their loco¬ 
motive powers, birds feem dedined to become inhabitants 
of every part of the globe. The cold and barren regions 
of the north, and the fultry deferts of the warmer lati¬ 
tudes, have equally a fhare in fupporting the feathered 
tribes ; and, in fome indances, thefe didant climes be¬ 
come alternately the refidence of the fame bird at differ- 
Vol. XVII. No. 1215. 
7l7 
ent feafons of the year. Some dwell with man, andfeem 
proud of becoming tenants under the fame roof with their 
Superiors ; as the fwallow, the jackdaw, and the fparrow. 
The rapacious birds, of a more thy and independent 
fpirit, are happy in being far from the haunts of men ; 
therefore choofe their refidence in high rocks ; others are 
of an alpine nature, inhabiting the lofty mountains, as 
the fnow-deckand ring-ouzel. The budard and thegroufe 
prefer the extenfive fields : the whole order of pafferes de¬ 
light in thick groves, which they enliven by their melodi¬ 
ous drains. A numerous clafs of fowls all'o inhabits the 
waters : that element feems more congenial to the fea¬ 
thered race than to quadrupeds; the latter, a very few 
only excepted, univerlally avoid it, and are never feen 
to Swim unlefs when compelled by want or fear : on the 
contrary, perhaps the greater part of birds prefer the fea, 
only leaving it to obey fome of the mod powerful inftinfts 
of their nature; to lay their eggs, or to hatch their 
young. Hence only three or four quadrupeds are found 
with palmated feet; whereas we can reckon three hundred 
different birds provided with thefe indruments of fwim- 
ming. 
Without the means of conveying themfelves with 
great fwiftness from one place to another, birds could 
not eafily fubfid, the food which nature has provided 
for them being fo irregularly didributed, that they are 
obliged to take long journeys to didant parts in order 
to procure the necedary fupplies. Hence one caufe of 
thofe migrations which are i'o peculiar to the feathered 
race. Befides the want of food, however, two other 
caufes may be adigned ; namely, the want of a proper 
temperature of air, and of a convenient lituation for the 
important work of breeding and rearing their young. 
Such birds as migrate to great didances, are alone deno¬ 
minated birds of paffage; but mod fpecies are more 
or lefs fo, although they do not remove to places remote 
from their former habitations. At particular periods of 
the year, mod birds remove from one country to an¬ 
other, or from the more inland didrifts towards the 
fhores, or vice verfa. The feafons of thefe migrations 
are obferved with the mod adonilhingorder and punctu¬ 
ality; but the fecrecy with which immenfe flocks take 
their departure, and the fuddennefs with which they re¬ 
appear, are not eafily explained. Indeed, there is no cir- 
cumdance in their hidory which has more engaged the 
attention of naturalids than this; and there is, perhaps, 
none in which they have been lefs fuccefsful. 
We may divide birds into fuch as are dationary, mi¬ 
gratory, paffengers, or wanderers. The fird clafs com¬ 
prehends a great number of our land-birds ; who, 
though they have fo much to fear from man, and from 
each other, are feldom lcared away from their accij domed 
haunts, although they are perfeftly fitted for a wandering 
life ; and though, by the eafe and rapidity with which 
they can change their place, they are enabled to gratify 
their defires, however didant the objeft, yet a great 
number remain contented in the didrifts where they were 
bred, and feem to confine the gratification of their appe¬ 
tites greatly within the limits of their endowments. The 
eagle, the crow, the rook, and the fparrow, if undis¬ 
turbed, never leave their native haunts : the blackbird 
dill frequents its wonted hedge; and the red-bread, 
though feemingly mild, claims a certain didrift, from 
which he feldom moves, but expels from his territory all 
that are inferior in drength or courage, without diftinc- 
tion and without pity. 
The powerful calls of nature, however, drive many 
birds annually from theirnative country, in qued of food, 
of a wanner climate, or of a Secure alylum while em¬ 
ployed in hatching and rearing their young. It was for¬ 
merly believed that the changes of heat and cold were the 
caufes of the migrations of birds; it is more probable, 
however, that thofe daring and adventurous journeys, 
which might even intimidate human perfeverance, are oc- 
cafioned by a fcarcity of food, or by the want of a l'ecure 
9 M afylum. 
