their wings just so much in motion as to prevent their feet from sinking below the surface."*

We add a short notice from our obliging ornithological correspondent, to whom we have already been so much indebted." I am informed by mariners, that these birds, though formed for swimming, are mostly on the wing, like our swallow, feeding on marine insects.

"There are but one or two islands where they are known to nestle, and where they are seen in a state of repose. It is peculiar that they are never seen far at sea but in stormy weather. These birds are oftener met with inland, in Britain, than Bewick speaks of; but are driven to this coast by bad weather."-W. K.

THE SONG OF THE STORMY PETREL.

The lark sings for joy on her own loved land,
In the furrow'd fields, by the breezes fann'd;
And so revel we,

In the furrow'd sea,

As joyous and glad as the lark can be.

On the placid breast of the inland lake,

The wild duck delights her pastime to take ;

But the petrel braves

The wild ocean waves,

His wing in the foaming billow he laves.

• Wilson's Ornithology.

The halcyon loves, in the noontide beam,
To follow his sport on the tranquil stream;
He fishes at ease

In the summer breeze,

But we go angling in stormiest seas.

No song-note have we but a piping cry,

That blends with the storm, when the winds rise high; When the land-birds wail

We sport in the gale,

And merrily over the ocean we sail.

Bird of the ocean,

THE PETREL.

whose fluttering wing,

Seems ever to touch the brink of the grave, How can it be that so feeble a thing

Successfully combats the wind and the wave? He who hath formed thee, He only could give Strength 'mid the war of the waters to live.

As the petrel braves the hurricane's gloom,
A bark has flown over the stormy sea;
We thought that the billow had been its tomb,
But the noble vessel was floating free;
And ploughing her course through the ocean foam,
She hath brought the sailor in safety home.

Wanderer, thy bark with its beautiful form,

And its graceful sails that bend at thy will, Who gave it the power to strive with the storm? Oh! remember, it was not thy puny skill.

The issues from death belong not to thee,

But to Him who hath formed the land and the sea.

ADDITIONAL NOTICES.

We persuade ourselves that many of our readers will be interested with the additional observations, chiefly on the British Song Birds, which we have here thrown together: they are drawn from various

sources.

THE NIGHTINGALE.

"The nightingale unites the talents of all the singing birds, and succeeds in every style-sixteen different burdens may be reckoned in its song, well determined by the first and last notes. It can sustain the song uninterrupted during twenty seconds, and the sphere which its voice can fill is at least a mile in diameter. Song is so peculiarly the attribute of this bird, that even the female possesses it; less strong and varied, it is true, than that of the male, but as to the rest entirely resembling it. Even in its dreaming sleep the nightingale warbles. What peculiarly constitutes

the charm of this bird, is that it never repeats itself like other birds-it creates at each burden or passage: and even if it ever resumes the same, it is always with new accents and added embellishments."--Griffith's Cuvier.

THE SONG-THRUSH.

"Here we have one of the most musical of British birds. He is one of the first harbingers of spring; and his loud and powerful pipe is always hailed with pleasure. His song is continued for hours together, and consists of short passages, each repeated two or three times. Some of these passages are very fine, and true to the chromatic scale. The song thrush has more variety in his notes than any other British bird, the nightingale not excepted.”—Main on British Song Birds, Magazine Natural History, vol. iv.-1831.

THE BLACKCAP

“Is the contra-alto singer of the woodland choir. The fine, varied, joyous song of this emigrant is noticed by the most listless auditor: the strain occupies about three bars of triple time in the performance, and though very frequently repeated, is somewhat varied in every repetition. He begins with two or three short essays of double notes, gradually crescendo up to a loud and full swell of varied expression. One passage often occurs, as truly enunciated as if performed on an octave flute. The style and key of the song are nearly the same in all individuals, though some may be noticed to vary in style. I knew one bird that frequented the same