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He who NATURE'S GREAT BOOK would sincerely

peruse,

With dispassionate judgment phenomena views;
Whatever he sees, and whatever his tact,

He will always confine himself closely to FACT;
Nor permits he wild WONDER to dazzle his eyes,
Nor yields REASON a captive to silly SURPRIZE;
If Discovery should give to some Novelty birth,
Lets not RAPTURE esteem it beyond its own worth;
Lets not POETRY paint it in colours so fair,

That when seen, void of Art, is nor splendid nor rare ;
In fine, although led by fair Pleasure's soft hand,
Still, observant of NATURE, gives TRUTH the command.

not long survive. It seems, nevertheless, most probable that the spurs on the wings are a defence against some noxious animals, which infest the native regions of this bird. Feeds on herbs, seeds, and reptiles. Nest of weeds, and shaped like an oven; eggs two. When alarmed, rises from the ground with a loud and continued screaming. Inhabits the fenny and marshy parts of South America, where it is discovered by its voice, and hunted for its flesh; it is also domesticated for the same purpose. Called by the natives

Kamichi.

The Cristata, or CRESTED SCREAMER, has the wings unarmed, front crested; size of a heron; habits and place of abode similar to the last. Called by the natives CARIAMA, from the sharp cry which it makes, and which is compared to that of a turkey, but so loud as to be heard a mile off. Flesh delicate; by some thought equal to the pheasant.

This last is described by Dr. LATHAM as a separate genus, under the term CARIAMA.

The other species is the Chaja, inhabiting Paraguay.

While many a Warbler's and Oriole's song Were heard, in wild cadence, pimentas among, The GOLD-BREASTED TRUMPETER (3) shouted aloud; Of all harsh discordance he seems to be proud. The GRAND PROMEROPS*, too, in his beautiful green, Other HOOPOES of splendour were also there seen.

(31) Order, GrALLÆ, (Linn.) TRUMPETER, the GOLDBREASTED, the UNDULATE.

The genus PSOPHIA, (Linn.) or TRUMPETER, consists of three species, distinguished by a cylindric, conic, convex, somewhat pointed bill; the upper mandible larger; nostrils oval, pervious; tongue cartilaginous; feet four toed, cleft. The following are the chief:

The Crepitans, or GOLD-BREASTed Trumpeter, is black, back grey; breast shining blue green; legs strong, tall, tail short; feathers of the head downy, of the lower part of the neck squamiform; of the shoulders ferruginous, lax, pendulous, silky ; twenty inches long; makes a harsh uncommon cry, not unlike a child's trumpet, and follows people through the streets with its disagreeable noise, so that it is difficult to get rid of it; stands on one leg, and sleeps with its head between its shoulders; eggs blue green. Inhabits Brazil and Guinea. When tamed, mixes with other poultry, and domineers even over the Guinea fowl; follows its master in its walks; flesh good.-Waterton.

The Undulata, or UNDULATE TRUMPETER, has the body above brown, waved with black, beneath bluish white; size of a goose; inhabits Africa.

* See note (24,) Part I.

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The ORIOLES (32) presented a brilliant group: Some whose domes from one tree by whole centuries

droop:

The PERSICUS, he whom sound wisdom hath taught
That his welfare in union can only be sought;

From the Serpents--the Apes, his alembical nest,
Moves secure o'er the breeze's soft billowy breast.

(32) Order, PICÆ, (Linn.) ORIOLE, the HANG-NEST, the BALTIMORE, the GOLDEN, the ICTERIC, the RED-WINGED, the BANANA, the BLACK or TROUPIOLE.

The genus ORIOLUS, (Linn.) or ORIOLE, comprehends upwards of sixty species, chiefly inhabitants of America; one only, the Galbula, or GOLDEN-ORIOLE, found occasionally in this country. They have a conic, convex, very sharp and straight bill; tongue bifid; feet ambulatory. They are gregarious, noisy, numerous, voracious, and great devourers of corn: they often build pendulous nests. The following are most deserving of notice:

The Nidipendulus, or HANG-NEST ORIOLE; for an account of which, see the ORIOLE'S SONG.

The Baltimore, BALTIMORE-ORIOLE, Hang-nest, HangingBird, Golden-Robin, Fire-Bird, Baltimore-Bird, is seven inches long; body above black, the rest orange; inhabits various parts of North America, often in flocks, migrating as far as Montreal to the north, and of Brazil to the south; most common in Virginia; has a clear mellow whistle, but can be scarcely termed a song. It attaches its nest to an apple-tree, a weepingwillow, or the Lombardy-poplar, in the American towns; the nest is like a cylinder, five inches in diameter, seven in depth, and round at the bottom; the opening at the top narrowed by a horizontal covering, two inches and half in diameter; the materials flax, hemp, tow, hair, and wool, woven into a complete cloth, the whole tightly sewed through and through with

R

His clear mellow pipe loud the BALTIMORE blew,
As round willows and poplars delighted he flew :

long horse hairs, several of which measure two feet in length; the bottom consists of thick tufts of cow hair.

"High on yon poplar clad in glossiest green

The orange, black-capp'd Baltimore is seen;

The broad extended boughs still please him best ;-
Beneath the bending skirts he hangs his nest."

WILSON'S American Ornithology.

The Galbula, Golden-Oriole, Golden-Thrush, Witwall, or Yellow-Bird-from-Bengal, is pale-yellow; outer tail-feathers on the hind part yellow; female dusky brownish-green; lateral tail-feathers yellowish-white; nine and a half inches long; feeds on cherries, berries, and insects; inhabits Europe, Asia, and Africa; occasionally seen in this country in the summer; more common in France, where it breeds; the nest is curiously shaped like a purse, and fastened to the extreme branches of tall trees; it is made of the fibres of hemp or straw, mixed with fine dry stalks of grass, and lined with moss and liverwort; eggs four or five, dirty white, with dark brown spots; voice sharp; flesh good. Four or five other varieties, found in Cochin-china and India. It is a migratory bird, and found in various parts of the European continent during the summer; has been observed in Malta on its passage southward, and on its return in the spring northward; supposed to winter in Africa and Asia. A nest, with young ones, was once, I understand, seen in Hampshire.

The Icterus, or ICTERIC-ORIOLE, is tawny, nine and a half inches long; active, bold; builds a large cylindrical nest hanging from the extreme branches of a tree; is domesticated in America for the purpose of destroying insects; inhabits the warmer parts of America and the Caribbees.

The Phoeniceus, Red-winged-ORIOLE, or Red-winged-Starling of WILSON, is black, wing-coverts red; about nine inches

THE PERSIC, THE BANANA, THE BLACK ORIOLE. 363

The NIGER sang sweetly; what time did the note
Of the HANG-NEST on zephyrs enchantingly float;
Of the tawny BANANA inscribe we the name,
And forget not his nest in the annals of fame.

long; builds a thick pensile nest between reeds, and just above the reach of floods; eggs white, with a few black streaks; very destructive to rice plantations; it devours, also, swarms of insects and worms; inhabits in vast flocks from New York as far as New Spain. Found in the summer in the northern, in the winter in the southern American States. Another variety inhabits Africa.

The Persicus, BLACK-AND-YELLOW-ORIOLE, or Persic, of which there are three or four varieties, inhabits South America. It forms a pendent nest, shaped like an alembic, on the extreme branches of trees; sometimes, it is said, hundreds are seen hanging from the same tree; eggs dirty white, with small palebrown spots.

The Banana, BANANA-ORIOLE, Bonana-Oriole, or Banana-bird, is tawny; back, and quill, and tail-feathers, black; seven inches long; inhabits South America and the Caribbee Islands; forms a nest of leaves and stalks the shape of a fourth part of a globe, sewed with great art to the under part of a banana leaf, so that the leaf itself makes one side of the nest. I have ventured to differ, even from LINNÆUS himself, as well as subsequent naturalists, in the orthography of the specific name of this bird. The great Swede gives us Bonana; but surely there can be no reason for such an orthography, as the bird forms its nest partly of the leaf of the BANANA, (musa sapientum,) we ought not to depart from the orthography of that word. I also give it in the genitive case, as more expressive of the habit of this Oriole.

The Niger, BLACK-ORIOLE, or Troupiole, is totally black, female greenish-brown; ten inches long; feeds on worms and beetles; builds in trees about eight feet from the ground, and

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