374 
BIBD-LIFE. 
as though they had only just been confined; they sleep 
little, sing seldom, hut call uninterruptedly. Birds that 
have been caught when full grown, as well as those 
raised from the nest, are alike affected in this manner; 
it matters not whether they be shut up in the smallest of 
cages or the largest aviary. Those which have been 
taken from the nest can know nothing of winter and its 
hardships; nothing of foreign lands and their sunny 
skies : they only know and love their master or mistress; 
and yet they long to wander with their companions ! 
As soon as the season for migration has passed they 
become quiet again; and when the time for the return 
approaches they again become restless. We cannot 
explain these facts otherwise than that the bird obeys a 
hidden impulse and secret presentiment: it is true this 
cannot be called an explanation, but yet it is at all 
events not contrary to such evidence as we at present 
possess. It must not be forgotten, however, that this 
impulse and presentiment are not, necessarily, always 
correct. It is more probable that birds of passage are 
guided in their journey, north or south, by an exqui¬ 
site sensibility, on their part, to the gradations of heat 
and cold, influences which we cannot feel to the same 
extent, than that they are, in this case, under the imme¬ 
diate direction of “ Providence,” and for this reason: 
—we have repeatedly observed that birds of passage 
are sometimes grossly mistaken with regard to selecting 
the propitious moment for their return, and suffer in 
consequence. They sometimes reach home in the spring, 
while Nature still feels the chill embrace of winter; 
and seeking nourishment, find none. Thus many die of 
starvation. They cannot make up their minds to retrace 
their flight,—hope against hope,—and perish ! Such— 
