nets, he difpofes of his call-birds at proper intervals. It must be owned, that there is a moft malicious joy in these call-birds to bring the wild ones into the fame ftate of captivity; which may likewise be observed with regard to the decoy ducks.

Their fight and hearing infinitely excels that of the bird-catcher. The inftant that the wild birds are perceived, notice is given by one to the reft of the call-birds (as it is by the first hound that hits on the fcent to the rest of the pack) after which follows the fame fort of tumultuous ecftacy and joy. The call-birds, while the bird is at a distance, do not fing as a bird does in a chamber; they invite the wild ones by what the bird-catchers call fhort jerks, which when the birds are good, may be heard at a great distance. The afcendancy by this call or invitation is fo great, that the wild bird is flopped in its courfe of flight, and if not already acquainted with the nets t, lights boldly within twenty yards of perhaps three or four bird-catchers, on a fpot which otherwife it would not have taken the least notice of. Nay, it frequently happens, that if half a flock only are caught, the remaining half will immediately after wards light in the nets, and fhare the fame fate; and fhould only one bird efcape, that bird will fuffer itself to be pulled at till it is caught; fuch a fafcinating power have the call-birds.

While we are on this fubject of the jerking of birds, we cannot omit mentioning, that the bird-catchers frequently lay confiderable wagers whofe call-bird can jerk the longeft, as that determines the fuperiority. They place them oppofite to each other, by an inch of candle, and the bird who jerks the ofteneft, before the candle is burnt out, wins the wager. We have been informed, that there have been inftances of a bird's giving a hundred and feventy jerks in a quarter of an hour; and we have known a linnet, in fuch a trial, perfevere in its emulation till it fwooned from the perch thus, as Pliny fays of the nightingale, victa morte finit fæpe vitam, fpiritu prius deficiente quàm cantu. Lib. x. c. 29.

It may be here obferved, that birds when

It may be alfo obferved, that the moment they fee a hawk, they communicate the alarm to each other by a plaintive note; nor will they then jerk or call though the wild birds are near.

A bird, acquainted with the nets, is by the bird-catchers termed a fharper, which they endeavour to drive away, as they can have no fport whilst it continues near them.

near each other, and in fight, feldom jerk or fing. They either fight, or ufe fhort and wheedling calls; the jerking of these call-birds, therefore, face to face, is a molt extraordinary instance of contention for faperiority in fong.

It may be alfo worthy of observation, that the female of no fpecies of birds ever fings: with birds, it is the reverse of what occurs in human kind: among the feathered tribe, all the cares of life fall to the lot of the tender fex: theirs is the fatigue of incubation; and the principal fhare in nurfing the helpless brood: to alleviate thefe fatigues, and to fupport her under them, nature hath given to the male the fong, with all the little blandithments and foothing arts; thefe he fondly exerts (even after courtship) on fome spray contiguous to the net, during the time his mate is performing her parental duties. But that the fhould be filent, is alfo another wife provifion of nature, for her fong would discover her neft; as would a gaudinefs of plumage, which, for the fame reason feems to have been denied her.

To these we may add a few particulars that fell within our notice during our enquiries among the bird-catchers, fuch as, that they immediately kill the hens of every fpecies of birds they take, being incapable of finging, as alfo being inferior in plumage; the pippets likewife are indifcriminately destroyed, as the cock does not fing well they fell the dead birds for threepence or four-pence a dozen.

Thefe fmall birds are fo good, that we are furprifed the luxury of the age neglects fo delicate an acquifition to the table. The modern Italians are fond of small birds, which they eat under the common name of Beccaficos: and the dear rate a Roman tragedian paid for one dish of finging birds is well known.

Another particular we learned, in converfation with a London bird-catcher, was the vaft price that is fometimes given for a fingle fong-bird, which had not learned to whistle tunes. The greatest sum we heard of, was five guineas for a chaffinch, that had a particular and uncommon note,

• Maximè tamen infignis eft in hac memoria, Clodi Alopi tragici biftrionis patina fexcentis H. S. taxata i in quo pofuit aves cantu aliquo, aut bumano fermont, vecales. Plin. lib. x. c. 51. The price of this expenfive difh was about 68431. 10s. according to Arbuthnot's Tables. This feems to have been a wanton caprice, rather than a tribute to epicarifm. under

under which it was intended to train others: and we also heard of five pounds ten fhillings being given for a call-bird linnet.

A third fingular circumftance, which confirms an obfervation of Linnæus, is, that the male chaffinches fly by themselves, and in the flight precede the females; but this is not peculiar to the chaffinches. When the titlarks are caught in the beginning of the fenfon, it frequently happens, that forty are taken, and not one female among them; and probably the fame would be obferved with regard to other birds (as has been done with relation to the wheat-ear) if they were attended to.

An experienced and intelligent birdcatcher informed us, that fuch birds as breed twice a year, generally have in their firft brood a majority of males, and in their second, of females, which may in part account for the above obfervation.

We must not omit mention of the bullfinch, though it does not properly come under the title of a finging-bird, or a bird of flight, as it does not often move farther than from hedge to hedge; yet, as the bird fells well on account of its learning to whittle tunes, and fometimes flies over the fields where the nets are laid; the birdcatchers have often a call-bird to enfnare it, though most of them can imitate the call with their mouths. 9. It is remarkable with regard to this bird, that the female answers the purpose of a call-bird as well as the male, which is not experienced in any other bird taken by the London bird

catchers.

It may perhaps furprife, that under this article of finging birds, we have not mentioned the nightingale, which is not a bird of flight, in the fenfe the bird-catchers ufe this term. The nightingale, like the robin, wren, and many other finging birds, only moves from hedge to hedge, and does not take the periodical flights in October and March. The perfons who catch these birds, make use of fmall trap-nets, without call-birds, and are confidered as inferior in dignity to other bird-catchers, who will not rank with them.

The nightingale being the first of finging-birds, we shall here infert a few particulars relating to it.

Its arrival is expected by the trappers in the neighbourhood of London, the first week in April; at the beginning none but cocks are taken, but in a few days the hens make their appearance, generally by them

felves, though fometimes a few males come along with them.

The latter are diftinguished from the females not only by their fuperior fize, but by a great fwelling of their vent, which commences on the first arrival of the hens.

They do not build till the middle of May, and generally chufe a quicklet to make their neft in.

If the nightingale is kept in a cage, it often begins to fing about the latter end of November, and continues to fing more or lefs till June.

A young canary bird, linnet, fkylark, or robin (who have never heard any other bird) are faid beft to learn the note of a nightingale.

They are caught in a net-trap; the bottom of which is furrounded with an iron ring; the net itfelf is rather larger than a cabbage.net.

When the trappers hear or fee them, they ftrew fome fresh mould under the place, and bait the trap with a meal-worm from the baker's fhop.

Ten or a dozen nightingales have been thus caught in a day. Barrington.

21. Experiments and Obfervations on the SINGING of BIRDS.

From the Philofophical Tranfactions, Vel. lxiii,

As the experiments and obfervations I late to the finging of birds, which is a fubmean to lay before the Royal Society reject that hath never before been fcientifically treated of, it may not be improper to prefix an explanation of fome uncommon terms, which I fhall be obliged to use, as well as others which I have been under a neceffity of coining.

To chirp is the first found which a young bird utters, as a cry for food, and is tended to; fo that the hearer may diftindifferent in all neftlings, if accurately atguifh of what fpecies the birds are, though the neft may hang out of his fight and reach.

This cry is, as might be expected, very

weak and querulous; it is dropped entirely as the bird grows ftronger, nor is afterwards intermixed with its fong, the chirp of a nightingale (for example) being hoarfe and difagreeable.

To this definition of the chirp, I muk add, that it confifts of a fingle found, repeated at very fhort intervals, and that it is common to nestlings of both fexes.

The call of a bird, is that found which it is able to make when about a month old; it is, in most inftances (which I happen to recollect) a repetition of one and the fame note, is retained by the bird as long as it lives, and is common, generally, to both the cock and hen *.

The next stage in the notes of a bird is termed, by the bird-catchers, recording, which word is probably derived from a mufical inftrument, formerly used in England, called a recorder †.

This attempt in the nettling to fing, may be compared to the imperfect endeavour in a child to babble. I have known instances of birds beginning to record when they were not a month old.

This firft effay does not seem to have the leaft rudiments of the future fong; but as the bird grows older and ftronger, one may begin to perceive what the neftling is aiming at.

Whilft the fcholar is thus endeavouring to form his fong, when he is once fure of a paffage, he commonly raises his tone, which he drops again, when he is not equal to what he is attempting; juft as a finger raifes his voice, when he not only recollects certain parts of a tune with precifion, but knows that he can execute them.

What the neftling is not thus thoroughly mafter of, he hurries over, lowering his tone, as if he did not wish to be heard, and could not yet fatisfy himfelf.

I have never happened to meet with a paffage, in any writer, which feems to re

late to this ftage of finging in a bird, except, perhaps, in the following lines of Statius:

"Nunc volucrum novi "Queftus, inexpertumque carmen, "Quod tacitâ ftatuere bruma,"

Stat. Sylv. L. IV. Ech 5.

A young bird commonly continues to record for ten or eleven months, when be is able to execute every part of his fong, which afterwards continues fixed, and is fcarcely ever altered •,

When the bird is thus become perfect in his leffon, he is faid to fing his fong round, or in all its varieties of paffages, which he connects together, and executes without z pause.

I would therefore define a bird's fong to be a fucceffion of three or more different notes, which are continued without interruption during the fame interval with a musical bar of four crotchets in an adagio movement, or whilft a pendulum fwings four feconds.

By the first requifite in this definition, I mean to exclude the call of a cuckow, or clucking of a hen †, as they confift of only two notes; whilft the fhort bursts of finging birds, contending with each other (called jerks by the bird-catchers) are equally dif tinguished from what I term fong, by their not continuing for four feconds."

As the notes of a cuckow and hen, therefore, though they exceed what I have defined the call of a bird to be, do not amount to its fong, I will, for this reafon, take the liberty of terming fuch a fuccef fion of two notes as we hear in thefe birds, the varied call.

Having thus fettled the meaning of certain words, which I fhall be obliged to make ufe of, I fhall now proceed to ftate fome general principles with regard to the finging of birds, which feem, to refult from the experiments I have been making for feveral years, and under a great variety of circumstances.

Notes in birds are no more innate, than language is in man, and depend entirely upon the mafter under which they are bred, as far as their organs will enable them to imitate the founds which they have frequent opportunities of hearing.

The bird called a Twite by the bird-catchers, cummonly flies in company with linnets, yet the two fpecies of birds never learn each other's not which always continue totally different.

The common hen, when the lays, repeats th fame note, very often, and concludes with the £xk above, which he holds for a longer time.

MoA

from a want of other founds to imitate, almoft articulated the words pretty boy, as well as fome other short fentences: I heard the bird myself repeat the words pretty boy; and Mr. Matthews affured me, that he had neither the note or call of any bird whatsoever.

This talking linnet died last year, before which, many people went from London to hear him fpeak.

The goldfinch I have before mentioned, was reared in the town of Knighton in Radnorfhire, which I happened to hear as I was walking by the house where it was kept.

I thought indeed that a wren was finging; and I went into the houfe to inquire after it, as that little bird feldom lives long in a cage.

The people of the houfe, however, told me, that they had no bird but a goldfinch, which they conceived to fing its own natural note, as they called it; upon which I ftaid a confiderable time in the room, whilst its notes were merely those of a wren without the leaft mixture of goldfinch.

On further inquiries, I found that the bird had been taken from the neft when only a day or two old, that it was hung in a window which was oppofite to a finall garden, whence the neflling had undoubt edly acquired the notes of the wren, with out having had an opportunity of learning even the call of the goldfinch.

Thefe facts, which I have ftated, feem to prove very decifively, that birds have not any innate ideas of the notes which are fuppofed to be peculiar to each species. But it will poffibly be asked, why, in a wild ftate, they adhere fo fteadily to the fame fong, infomuch, that it is well known, before the bird is heard, what notes you are to expect from him.

This, however, arifes entirely from the neftling's attending only to the inftruction of the parent bird, whilft it diiregards the notes of all others, which may perhaps be finging round him.

Young Canary birds are frequently reared in a room where there are many other forts; and yet I have been informed, that they only learn the fong of the parent cock.

Every one knows, that the common houfe-fparrow, when in a wild ftate, never does any thing but chirp: this, however, does not arife from want of powers in this bird to imitate others; but because he only attends to the parental note.

But, to prove this decifively, I took a common fparrow from the neft when it was fledged, and educated him under a linnet: the bird, however, by accident, heard a goldfinch alfo, and his fong was, therefore, a mixture of the linnet and goldfinch.

I have tried several experiments, in or der to obferve, from what circumstances birds fix upon any particular note when taken from the parents; but cannot fettle this with any fort of precifion, any more than at what period of their recording they determine upon the fong to which they will adhere.

I educated a young robin under a very fine nightingale; which, however, began already to be out of fong, and was perfectly mute in less than a fortnight.

This robin afterwards fung three parts in four nightingale; and the rest of his forg was what the bird-catchers call rubbish, or no particular note whatsoever.

I hung this robin nearer to the nightingale than to any other bird; from which first experiment I conceived, that the scholar would imitate the mafter which was at the leaft diftance from him.

From several other experiments, however, which I have fince tried, I find it to be very uncertain what notes the neftfing will moft attend to, and often their fong is a mixture; as in the inflance which I before ftated of the fparrow.

I must own alfo, that I conceived, from the experiment of educating the robin un der a rightingale, that the fcholar would fix upon the note which it first heard when taken from the neft: I imagined likewife, that, if the nightingale had been fully in fong, the inftruction for a fortnight would have been fufficient.

I have, however, fince tried the following experiment, which convinces me, fo much depends upon circumftances, and perhaps caprice in the fcholar, that no general inference, or rule, can be laid down with regard to either of these fuppofitions.

I educated a neftling robin under a woodlark-linnet, which was full in fong, and hung very near to him for a month together: after which, the robin was removed to another house, where he could only hear a skylark-linnet. The confe quence was, that the nettling did not fing a note of woodlark (though I afterwards hung him again just above the woodlarklinnet) but adhered entirely to the fong of the fkylark-linnet.

Having thus ftated the refult of feveral experiments,