The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-01
SHAKESPEARE'S BIRDS,
BY MRS. DORA c. FELL

lark drives away dark, dismal night. He sees no beauty in the "pomgranate tree in which the nightingale sings" The nightingale, sweet singer of the night! The name is sometimes used as a term of endearment. as with Anthony and Cleopatra; and Petruchio tells Kate, Though she rail she sings as sweet as the nightingale." The voice of each bird seems suited to his time of singing, for Portia intimates that if the nightin- gale sang by day she would not be count ed any better musician than the wren which simply chirps and twitters. Yet at night sad Philomela is perennial so- lace to every valentine who tunes his dis | tresses to her complainings.
 The dove, emblem of the human soul, is alluded to in the second part of Henry the Fourth as 'the spirit of peace set tling well upon the vestments of the arch bishop" and Is further used as a symbol of faithfulness, innocence and modesty; and in the masque introduced into the Tempest, the dove is mentioned in a mythological sense.
 Sir Chanticleer and the black bird Cor ouseD figuring so prominently in Rost- ands new play, the one for strutting van ity, the other for shrewd meddling, arc mentioned only in the song of Ariel, that winsome sprite of the air
 The voracity of the cormorant, applied only to the unsuitable bloodthirstness of warriors, is mentioned but thrice; 1t is interesting to know that that ungainly bird, though possessed of such repugnant habits, can be trained into usefulness. The cormorant is domesticated in China, where 1t is used for catching fish A string is tied around it's neck to prevent Its swallowing the fishes which it catches. Not being able to make way with them for its own sustenance, 1t, with much do- cility brings them to its master.
 Worcester in his rebuke of the king &C., cuses Henry of using his former friends in a mercenary way, just as the cuckoo uses the sparrow. There is nothing of the spirit of homebuilding nor housekeep- ing in cuckoos. They stealthily borrow house room from their neighbors, and the mother does not know the simplest lulla- by with which to soothe the babies in a borrowed cradle. Portia says the cuckoo is known by his bad voice, and although he Is heard in the rosy month of June his song is not regarded.
 Timon of Athens calls attention to the ''mossed trees that have outlived the eagles,' thus calling to mind their great age.
 Tamora, in deploring the tyranny of kings. says:
 ''The eagle suffers little birds to sing And Is aacareful not what they mean
 thereby.
 Knowing that with the shadow of his
 wings
 He can at pleasure stint their melody.'
 In Cymbelene, when the Roman guard Lucius appealed to the soothsayer this was his information: Last nitht I saw loves brd the Roman eagle, winged from the spongy south to this part of the west" then vanished in the sunbeans i; which portends-''unless my sins abuse my divination-success to the Roman host"
 We have heard of the perfect digestion of the ostrich, these lines appSar in ''Heny VI," But I'll make thee eat iron like an ostrich and swallow my sword like great pin, ere thou and part"
 In offering his services to young Orlan- do the servant Adam says to him: Take sll I have. my earnings, my savings and
 he that doth the ravens feed yea provi- dently caters for the sparrow
 As an observer of birds am persuaded to believe they have their own arts and a language. but are sadly misinterpreted by human beings. For instance, there is our so-called Thanksgiving bird, the tur- key-cock, not known in England until in the sixteenth century. Shakespeare did not regard him with any degree of admir- 9t1On, TOT ne makes mean mention or him. We read of certain vain character that Contemplation makes rare turkey-cock of him. How he jets under his advanced plumes." I deplore the dramatist's ig- norance of the superlative dignity and beauty of this strictly American fowl. He has, it Is true. queer song which runs like this, "Gobble, gobble. gobble," and cruel man eagerly takes up the note, carries the bird to the block on Wednes- day, and on Thursday suits his action to the song and begins and continues to "gobble, gobble. gobble.' while the de- mure turkey hen, bereaved witness of the tragedy outside the window, persist ently pipes in high soprano. Quit. quit, quit"
 If I were a poet should write an ode to the turkey and should never be content until had achieved something like Bry- ants waterfowl" or Poe's Raven" The theory of Pythagoras. which mai>< tained the transmigration of the soul is brought before the reader by Malvolio when he ventures the idea that the soul of our grandam might happily inhabtt a wild fowl" The clown answers, Thou shalt not hold the opinion of Pythagoras ere will allow of thy wits and fear to kill woodcock lest dispossess the souI If tl7v{ uranda m The PvthaROre