504 
BIRD-LIFE. 
eacli; when each arrives, or takes its departure; where 
is its abode; how it is made; when it is occupied by a 
happy troop of nestlings ; when deserted. The naturalist 
knows his friends by their notes, flight, and bearing. In 
his eye the bird never ceases to exist: alive or dead 
it is ever interesting in his eyes, for in either case the 
bird is associated with a poesy of feeling in creative 
nature which he would put into words. Every new bird 
raises his spirits a step higher; every fresh discovery is 
a step onward in the knowledge of the ways and means 
of all things. He is indebted to his friends for many and 
many a happy hour : their lives are a pattern worthy of 
imitation. 
This gain no words can express. Let us take a passing 
glance at him who would libel and slander us, because 
we are free from the bitter pleasure of confounding the 
reality with the ring of empty words, or of lulling the 
clear, living spirit by the aid of formal speeches: we take 
more pains to prove by enquiry, to measure and weigh, 
before we follow the motto, “ Faith is greater than 
knowledge ! ” They call us blasphemers, because we will 
not blindly believe; and they term our spirit of enquiry 
—profanity : we will leave them in peace. Were they in 
a position to estimate and understand our labours, they 
might possibly dignify those labours with the title of 
“ Prayers ! ” We and they have, however, nothing in 
common. Their ideas and opinions are too pitiful, too 
narrow-minded for us; their souls move within the 
confined limits of their views. We include in our sphere 
of observation worlds which circle around us millions of 
miles away, and measure them according to their orbits. 
They advocate the bare word ; we the living soul and 
intelligence. They look upon every man as a unique 
