'Midst this babel, the MONARCH, extending his wing, Commanded the WARBLERS in sequence to sing. In a moment was silence; the restless were still; At distance was heard, in sweet murmurs, the rill. The REDBREAST looked pleas'd, and began with a twittering; That excited of FOLLY an insolent tittering. But he soon became silent as thus o'er the soul, the trans-Mississipian territories this owl resides exclusively in the burrows of the Marmot or Pairie dog; whether at the same time and in the same burrow with the said dog we are not exactly informed; although in other districts, as in St. Domingo, it digs itself a burrow two feet deep, in which the functions of nidification, &c. are performed. Its food is said to be insects; it flies about by day; its notes are cheh, cheh, repeated several times in rapid succession. Length nine inches and half; extent two feet. Bill horn colour, the lower mandible strongly notched; iris bright yellow; the capistrum before the eyes terminates in black rigid bristles as long as the bill. General colour of the plumage a light burnt-umber, spotted with a whitish tinge; beneath whitish; inferior tail coverts are immaculate white; eggs two, white, size of the dove's. See a continuation of Wilson's American Ornithology by PRINCE CHARLES BUONAparte. Those who like tales abounding in the horrible, will find one to their taste in Blackwood's Magazine for July, 1826, entitled the OWL: the following are the first four lines of it: "There sat an owl in an old oak tree, Whooping very merrily; He was considering, as well he might, Ways and means for a supper to-night." I particularly advise those to read it who may not be quite convinced of the impropriety of cruelty to animals. THE REDBREAST'S SONG. Motacilla Rubecula.-LINNÆUS. Sylvia Rubecula.-LATHAM. "Little bird with bosom red, Welcome to my humble shed! Courtly domes of high degree, LANGHORNE. THE REDBREAST'S SONG. Come listen unto me, love, Beside the eglantine; Or listen unto me, love, I wish not far to roam, love, In some sweet rosy, bower, love, I wish afar from noise, love, From fraud and strife malign, With thee, in peace, to dwell, love ; That wish is surely thine! I like a quiet home, love, In one encircling band move, With thee and all that's thine. I love to look around, love, On cherubs that are mine,— And oh how sweet the thought, love, I like a quiet spot, love, Where all such things combine (42) ORDER, PASSERES, (Linn.)Warbler, RedBREAST, WREN, GOLDEN-CRESTed-Wren, Yellow-Wren, Petty-Chaps, REDSTART, WHEAT-EAR, WAGTAIL, WHITE-THROAT, &c. The genus MOTACIILA, (Linn.) or WARBLER, to which the REDBREAST, Motacilla Rubecula, belongs, comprehends nearly three hundred species scattered over the globe; a very great number of which are natives of Europe, and many of them of our own country; their characteristics are a weak, slender 'bill; nostrils small; tongue cloven; toes, the extreme one joined at the under part to the middle one at the base. The follow ing are the chief: The Rubecula, RED-BREAST, Robin, Robin-red-breast, RobinRiddick, Ruddock, or Robinet,* is too well known to need description. There are three varieties; the common grey, with throat and breast ferruginons; the second entirely white; the third with chin white, wing coverts and feathers variegated. It is remarkable that this bird, which remains, even in North Bri "The nightingale of birds most choice, DRAYTON, Muse's Elysium, M tain, all the year round, as well as generally throughout England, should migrate from France during the winter months, which it is said to do. It appears in this country to be particularly fond, during the winter season, of the habitations of man; its note is well-known, and its society always agreeable; it sings at almost every season of the year, extremely cold wea ther excepted. "The Redbreast swells, In the slow-fading wood, his little throat Alone: for other birds have dropp'd their note." It builds in dry banks, beneath tufts of grass; the nest is composed of dead leaves, green moss, and stalks of plants; it is lined with hair. It lays generally five, sometimes more, whitish eggs, with rusty spots. It is found over the whole of Europe, from Norway and Sweden to the Mediterranean. A redbreast, some years since, frequently perched on one of the pinnacles of the organ in the cathedral at Bristol, and joined the music with its warbling effusions, it is said, for fifteen years successively, till 1787. Some lines on this extraordinary fact have been long since published; they were written by the Rev. SAMUEL Love, m.a. one of the minor canons, and are well deserving of perusal; I am sorry that I have not room for them. In very severe weather, a redbreast, many years ago, entered my parlour in Somersetshire, took its station over the window, where some food was placed for it; it remained there about a week, and when the weather became more mild it flew away. The Troglodytes, WREN, Common-Wren, Cutty, Lady's-Hen,* Cutty-Wren, or Wran, has the whole plumage transversely barred with undulating lines of brown and black ; on the belly and lower *Lady's-Hen. My authority for this name is DRAYTON : "The hedge-sparrow and her compeer the wren, Which simple people call our lady's-hen." OWL. |