180 
BIRD-LIFE. 
to ns; the result is, however, evident enough. The 
warmth of colouring displayed in the plumage of tropical 
birds bears the impress of southern light, and their 
beauty is but a reflection of the flowers of those regions; 
equally so the snows of the north seem to cover alike the 
fur of the mammals and the feathers of the birds ; while, 
in the desert, mammals, birds, lizards, and insects, 
assume a dress the colour of the sand. As in the North 
the plant-world clings more closely to earth for the sake 
of warmth, so in the South, where that want is not felt, 
they raise their heads heaven-wards, and seek their 
nourishment from the air. The animal world is governed 
by a similar rule; and, furthermore, in the South, ail 
the phenomena of Nature are sudden and magic in their 
character; day and night, night and morning, storm and 
calm, joy and sadness, heat and cold, drought and flood; 
all creation, indeed, appears gigantic and fairy-like; 
while in the North the changes are slower and more 
equable: thus, in the former, we meet with fantastic 
animal forms, in part resembling the remains of earlier 
ages, waifs of a legendary period; while, in the latter, 
the forms are simpler, and their colours almost uniform; 
and, whereas, the South has infinite diversity from the 
richness of its day-life, though, at the same time, 
wondrous in its night, the North is remarkable in its 
long night, continuing for months together, followed by 
a day which is quite as singular in its length. We find 
in the former an extraordinary number of nocturnal 
birds, while in the latter the true night- have become 
day-birds: thus here, as there, the greatest conformity 
exists between the country and its fauna. Here we can 
only attempt to give a rough sketch of the characteristic 
birds of each portion of the globe, with reference to their 
