Some birds, haunting with the missal-thrushes, and feeding on the
berries of the yew-tree, which answered to the description of the
merula torquata, or ring-ousel, were lately seen in this
neighbourhood. I employed some people to procure me a
specimen, but without success. See Letter XX.
Query.....Might not canary birds be naturalized to this climate,
provided their eggs were put in the spring, into the nests of some of
their congeners, as goldfinches, greenfinches, etc. ? Before winter
perhaps they might be hardened, and able to shift for themselves.
About ten years ago I used to spend some weeks yearly at Sunbury,
which is one of those pleasant villages lying on the Thames, near
Hampton-court. In the autumn, I could not help being much
amused with those myriads of the swallow kind which assemble in
those parts. But what struck me most was, that, from the time they
began to congregate, forsaking the chimnies and houses, they
roosted every night in the osier-beds of the sits of that river. Now
this resorting towards that element, at that season of the year,
seems to give some countenance to the northern opinion (strange as
it is) of their retiring under water.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83