The dews, rich in odour, from balmy shrubs fell; And the MOCKING-BIRD warbled his night song's farewell.

reddish buff, beneath yellowish white; quills greenish black; tail black; craw pendulous, orange coloured. It is about the size of a turkey; but is chiefly remarkable for the odd formation of the skin of the head and neck, which is bare; this skin, which is of an orange colour, arises from the base of the bill whence it stretches on each side to the head, thence it proceeds like an indented comb, and falls on either side according to the motion of the head; the eyes are surrounded by a red skin, and the iris has the colour and lustre of pearl. This species has been placed at the head of the vulture tribe on account of the superior beauty of its external appearance; and it is said that it is no other way distinguished from the genus; yet WATERTON asserts that when the king of the vultures is present, the inferior species do not attempt to touch the prey till the king is satisfied!—There might be some truth in this without attributing kingly qualities to the bird: the inferior species might know experimentally that his majesty would not suffer them to touch the prey till he himself is sated. It attacks, it is said, only the weaker animals, devouring rats, lizards, serpents, and every kind of excrement and filth; flies very high; a native of America.

The Aura, CARRion-Vulture, Aura-Vulture, Turkey-Vulture, or Turkey-Buzzard, has the body greenish brown; quill feathers black; bill white. Another variety with body black; quill feathers brown; bill cinereous; size nearly of the preceding; feeds on carrion, putrid carcasses, on which it gorges, and crocodile's eggs, &c.; sense of smell extremely acute; inhabits the United States, the West Indies, South America, and Africa; it is also said to be found in some parts of Europe; seen in large flocks; nest midst the recesses of solitary swamps in hollow trees; eggs from two to four, dull dirty white or cream

The SCANSORS, chief PARROTS, were dissonant loud; Many GOAT-SUCKERS' (2) notes, too, were heard from the crowd.

colour, splashed with chocolate, mingled with black; they are in length two inches and three quarters, breadth two inches. This is a peaceable and barmless bird, never offering violence to any living animal; in the southern states of North America, from their usefulness, they are protected by a law which imposes a fine on those who wilfully deprive them of life.

The Cristatus, or CRESTED-VULTURE, has the body blackish red; head crested; breast rufous; smaller than the last, but extremely active and voracious; feeds on hares, rabbits, foxes, fawns, and fish; found in some parts of Europe.

The Percnopterus, AQUILINE-VULTURE, or Pharoah's-Chicken, has the plumage white, except the quill feathers, which are black; the edges hoary; length two feet. Another variety, with the body reddish-ash, spotted with brown; inhabits Egypt, Syria, and Persia. It is encouraged in Cairo to devour dead carcasses; and in Palestine to destroy the mice which swarm in the fields. In Egypt it was formerly a capital crime to destroy one of these birds.

"The place is tainted-and behold

The Vulture hovers yonder, and his scream

Chides us that still we scare him from his banquet."

SOUTHEY'S Thalaba, vol. i. page 105.

(2) ORDER, PASSERES, (Linn.) GOAT-SUCKER, the EUROPEAN, the VIRGIAN, the GRAND, &c.

The genus CAPRIMULGUS, (Linn.) or GOAT-SUCKER, comprehends about forty species, chiefly inhabitants of America; one the Caprimulgus Europæus, or EUROPEAN GOAT-SUCKER, is found in this country. The characteristics of the tribe are, bill short, hooked at the end; upper mandible beset with a row

Where, 'midst shades dark and sombre, and shrouded

from sight,

They shrank from the glances of strong piercing light. They often, whenever the parrots were still,

Exclaim'd "Willy come go!" or now, "Whip, whip,

poor will!"

"Who are you?" was another monotonous lay; And another repeated, "Work, work, work away! ,!” Whilst a "Ha!" "heard aloud, in the wild, distant wood,

Oft repeated, yet fainter, spake murder and blood.

of stiff bristles; mouth wide; tongue small, pointed, entire ; toes connected by a membrane as far as the first joint; tail feathers ten. These birds seldom appear in the day-time, unless when disturbed, or in dark cloudy weather, but wander about in the evening in search of insects, on which they feed. They lay two eggs, which they deposit on the naked ground.

The Europaus, Goat-sucker, European Goal-sucker, Nocturnal Goat-sucker, Night-Hawk, Dorr-hawk, Churn-Owl, Goat-Owl, Wheel bird, or Night-jar, is ten inches long; mouth excessively wide; plumage beautifully diversified with black, brown, ferruginous, and white, speckled and dashed with cinereous; beneath ferruginous brown. Inhabits Europe, Asia, and Africa. During summer, from May to September, frequents the woods of this country; feeds chiefly on beetles and moths; hence is, most probably, a very useful bird. The absurd story formerly related of it, namely, that of sucking goats, whence its name, no longer credited. Its note is similar to the sound of a spinning wheel, besides which it has a sharp squeak. Eggs whitish, marked with light brown and ash colour, larger than those of a black bird; these are laid on the ground amongst fern, heath, long grass, &c. It begins its flight in the dusk of the evening in

Of the BELL-BIRDS was heard too the loud clanging

note,

As far distant it seem'd upon ether to float.

What clamour arose as the BIRDS flew along! No time was there now for the soothing of song; The sounds more like Babel assaulted the ear; The SEA-BIRDS like dense clouds dark rolling appear.

pursuit of the larger insects, particularly the Scarabaeus Melolontha, or cock-chafer, &c.

"Hark from yon quivering branch your direst foe,

Insects of night, its whirring note prolongs

Loud as the sound of busy maiden's wheel :
Then with expanded beak, and throat enlarged,
Even to its utmost stretch, its customed food
Pursues voracious. Thus from Zembla's deep
On warmer climes when herring armies pour
The living tide of plenty; to the sun
With gold and green and azure many a league,
When ocean glitters like a field of gems
Gay as the bow of heaven, and burns by night
In every billow with phosphoric fire;

Their march innumerous foes attend. Behold
In light wing'd squadrons, gulls of every name
Screaming discordant on the surface hang,
And ceaseless stoop for prey. Lo! gannets huge
And ospreys plunging from their cloudy height
With leaden fall precipitate, the waves

Cleave with deep dashing breast, and labouring rise
Talons and beak o'er-loaded."

GISBORNE's Walks in a Forest.

I have thought it most advisable not to separate these lines, so descriptive of several facts in the natural history of birds,

Come hither DESCRIPTION! assist to me sing,
The birds who this day met their VULTURID KING.

He from high Chimborazo* or Cataracts+ came, (Or from that lofty giant envelop'd in flame,

although the last portion of them relate to the OSPREY. See note (1) of the first Part, article Ossifragus.

The Virginianus, VIRGINIAN GOAT-SUCKER, Short-winged Gout-sucker, Night-hawk, and sometimes Whip-poor-will, is brown, transversely varied with grey-brown and a little ash-colour; beneath reddish-white; eight inches long; makes a disagreeably loud noise all night long; eggs green, with dusky spots and streaks; inhabits North America.

The Grandis, or GRAND GOAT-SUCKER, is nearly two feet long; the gape of the mouth so large as readily to admit a man's fist; inhabits Cayenne.

The Indicus, a small elegant bird, and the Asiaticus, or ВoмBAY GOAT-SUCKER, inhabit India. The Nova Hollandia, or CRESTED GOAT-SUCKER, is found in New Holland; the Longipennis, or LEONA GOAT-SUCKER, at Siena Leone.

The goat-suckers being chiefly American birds, exhibit in that continent, of course, the greatest variety in their manners and notes. WATERTON, in his WANDERINGS, mentions five kinds that have each a peculiar set of notes. One utters, "Who are you, who, who, who are you;" another, "Work away, work, work away;" another, "Willy come go; another, which is also common to the United States, "Whip poor will,

* The highest peak of the Andes, and, as far as is hitherto known, the highest mountain in America.

The cataracts of the Andes are unrivalled: that of Tequendama dashes, at two bounds, down a perpendicular height of six hundred feet, with an astounding roar, into a dark and frightful abyss. The tremendous cataracts of Maypuré and Apuré may also be mentioned.

P