The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-12-28
From tie .Ne,O England Maga.ine.
OUR BIRDS.
A TAX IN THE WAY OF oRNITHoLoe,

Talk IN THE WAY OF ORNITHOLoGr
Nov bark to that strange mewing nose
am9ng the bushes; you suppose it perha,s
10 oe stray kitten, but | shall please h
can the Cat-blr,l, who, not heing particu
ipIy aesirous OF our company, considering
Ihat MS nest might be laid under confirm. /
t'on' is not altogether disposed TO favor MS
WIN HIS sweetest strains But when on of }
uanger and apprehension. you will hear him |
Toii sweet and cheerful song, relieved |
ana diversified with limitations of almez5st
every songster IN the Drnre LaH4rLIieard
a0c N'"@ ''rds, that are so highly and lust
y esteemed, many OF which did not surpHss
tne Oa'-nirn IN singing, so admirably do
s"n.e '"o'GtduatS OF these last perform their
parts; and yet you will find M w,i,,en me-
'c"'il 81 this ORD, that says much in praise
VI MS notes. NO naturalist has hitherto
io1e nun any thing ike justice. The truth
s' ne Is minnie and vocalist of very extra
urinary powers, and worthy of beino class
E" ny the side of the American Polvclo,
was a great mistake in Wilson to saw
lhat MS pipe IS rather deficient in clear
ness ana strength Of toners He had GER
amy paln hut little attention to the vocal
eA"'p''ions OF this sprightlv sonus,er. or il
may ne that the Cath in the Southern
states does no: display the full extent Of
MS musical powers. am the more inrlin-
ed 10 this opinion, from knowing many birds
which, In the country around Boston are
excellent slngers,-yet are stated bv vii.
son to have no note at all! Three months,
residence in Massachusetts wopld have cor.
Iec'eu great many of his errors, and ad-
ded vastly to his stock of information.
There irIo
tne Cat-blrd, or OF more familiar manners,
yet his great fondness for the first ripe cher
RES raises him up host of enemies in the
farmers, who choose to have the first pick
lngs for themselves. The poor Cat-bird.
therefore, is generally shot without mercy.
whenever he intrudes into garden, while
the strange and unjust prejudice of the
ssrhoolboy shows him as little mercy in the
humble thlcket, where he builds his nest.
NOW L observe you staring upward and
puzzllng your wits 10 guess what great bird
It is you see wheeling aloft over our heads.
That Sir, is the type, symbol, and adopted
emblem of our nation, the Bald EAGLE who.
by the way is not bald, any more than that
stout and sturdy youth, the thriving republic
whose character he represents oniv his
mead and neck are white; so is his tail: the
rest OF his body is brown. Under three mr.
Iour years OF age, though full grown in
point OF size, he has no white at ali and bas
heen often taken, even by naturalis,s for a
different bird. 1t is lucky he should ho
here Just now, for these birds are somewba a,
rare, as, by the way, most of the rapacions
trloe are, IN comparison with Others. still
the Bald Eagles are far more common with
US than IN Europe, where they are neve,
seen except IN the extreme northern rerions
although an individual has been known in
Two oiHerent instances, TO wander as far
south as The centre of Europe. They are
spread, however, completely over this CONT
nent, and on day just like this,-bright.
serene, and little cool. with not a clond to
De seen ID the clear vault above, -yor NAV
esPy INN lowering over the sea shore, or
'he pahKs OF the river, or your own fish
pono, he helng one who prefers ''lenten en-
tertalnnent." Notwithstanding he will occa-
slonaily clutch fowl from your farm-vard.
ana mas been known even to attempt 10 kid
nap young child He has a stranse and
unconquerable antipa!hy, when tamed-and
when wild, suppose, just the same-.o be
seen at his dinner give him his meat. and
he gets his back turned against YOU before
he Will begin eating walk round in front
OF HIM, and he turns round again; place
half dozen persons in ring round him.
and what does he do, but, after hitching
and fdgetIlng about, and finding himself
completely surrounded, stretch ont his
wings, spread his tail, and bend over his
neck till he has made himself perfect
screen, under which he may swallow his
victuals, as if the vulgar business of eating
were thing which you must not suspect
him Of
The Bald Eagle as have Just remarked.
| loves to sail about at an immense height,
when the air is cloudless and serene. breast
ing the pure, clear breath of heaven: with
this cool and healthy portion of the atmos-
phere for his home, and, being abstemious
in his diet, he is. of consequence long lived,
and no doubt his age reaches near a century.
But we must have one more look at him ere
he scars away. See, with what majesty he
wheels rouni and round in the air, giving
now and then strong flap with his broad
plnlons, but for the most part scaling in a
slow and solemn sweep with extended and
motlonless vans how little labor does il
cost him to sustain himself in the air See
again, he begins to ascend, swinging round
and round, higher and higher, at every turn,
you cannot tell how, for he appears to rise
without effort now he has reached lofty
height, the circle of his flight grows less
now he appears small speck, and now no
bigger than The tip end of the hair of a
moschettos eyebrow now he is cut out OF
sight in the deep blue heaven
The largest Eagle in the known world is
the Washington Eagle of North America,
unless Mr.. Audubon,-whose splendid en-
cravings of American birds have lately been
exhibited to the Boston public,-and who
had The good luck to make the first actual
discovery of this noble creature,-be great
ly mistaken in his comparison of the Bird of
Washington with the Great Sea Eagle of
Europe, as some persons are pleased to in
snuate, which notion, indeed, comes to US
in such plausible shape that we ourselves
are somewhere between hawk and bug
card about The matter. Be this as il may,
the eagle aforesaid, whether an exclusive
nhabitant of America or not, is true citi-
zen of the country AMI affords another refu-
tatlon of the absurd doctrine of Button, that
the birds of America are in general smaller
than those of the same class in the old con-
tinent. In this, he comes 20 nearer the truth
than in his remarks Of the same character,
respecting the powers of singing in the
ieathered tribes of the old and new world,
to which we have before alluded. The
truth indeed is, if any fair or satisfactory
result can he obtained by the comparison
of individuals from classes arranged accord.
ing to such arbitrary distinctions as prevail
in ornithology-the conclusion to be drawn
is the very reverse Of that adopted Inv RuF.