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October 16, 1852.] THE L E A PER. 9"
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THE HABITS OF BIRDS. A Tlistory of Briti...
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Latham's Ethnology. The Ethnology Of Eur...
" Now the physical condition of our continent makes the intermixture of blood , d the diffusion of ideas easy ; and , I believe , that the effects of both are more notable in Europe than elsewhere . " The result of Dr . Latham ' s analysis of European Ethnology , unequivoally is to discredit the popular notions about the influence of Race , understanding by Race , a specific variety of physical organization , and leaving " circumstances" out of view . Nay , as to " purity of Race , " Dr . Latham shows that pedigree and nationality by no means coincide , and that the " blood" is very considerably " mixed . " The most powerful nations are the most heterogeneous ; yet he cautions us against the inference that mixture favours social development ; an inference as unsafe as the exaggeration of the effects of purity .
" The conditions which are least favourable for a prominent place in the world ' s history , are the best for the preservation of old characters . The purest populations of Europe are the Basques , the Lapps , the Poles , and the Frisians ; yet who can predic ate any important character common to them all ? " To attribute national aptitudes and inaptitudes or national predilections and antipathies to the unknown influences of blood , as long as the patent facts of history and external circumstances remain unexhausted , is to cut the Gordian Knot rather than to untie it . That there is something in pedigree is probable ; but , in the mind of the analytical ethnologist , this something is much nearer to nothing than to everything . " We refer to the first of these volumes for the evidence ; and as a sample of the incidental remarks , we select this on the much-mooted question— HAVE WE DEGENERATED IN SIZE ?
" It is now time to consider the physical and moral characters of the ancient Kelts . It is just possible that , from the admixture of German and other blood , the average stature of the Italians may have increased ; so that the difference between a Gaul and an Italian may have been greater in the time of Csesar than now . That the stature of the French and Germans has decreased is improbable . Be this , however , as it may , the evidence not only of the second-hand authorities amongst the classics , but of Caesar himself , is to the effect that the Gauls , when compared with the soldiers that were led against them , were taller and stouter
' The generality despise our men for their shortness , being themselves so tall . ' Tims writes Caesar . A good series of measurements from ancient graves , would either confirm or overthrow this and similar testimonies . For my own part , I am dissatisfied with them . The habit of magnifying the thews and sinews of the conquered , is a common habit with conquerors , and Caesar had every motive for giving their full value to his Gallic conquests , great as they really were . Again , —we may easily believe that both the slaves who were bought and sold , and the individual captives who ornamented the triumph were picked men ; as also would be those who were ' butchered to make a Roman holiday' in the amphitheatres .
"Again , —differences of dress and armour have generally a tendency to exaggerate the size of the wearers ; and hence it is that the Scotch Highlanders , amongst ourselves , are often considered as larger men than they really are . All who have investigated the debated question as to the stature of the Patagonians , have recognised in the bulky , baggy dress , a serious source of error in all measurements taken by the eye only . "Nevertheless , the external evidence is to the great stature of the ancient Gauls : evidence which the present size of the French slightly invalidates . As far , too , as iny knowledge extends , the exhumations of the older skeletons do the same . "
October 16, 1852.] The L E A Per. 9"
October 16 , 1852 . ] THE L E A PER . 9 "
The Habits Of Birds. A Tlistory Of Briti...
THE HABITS OF BIRDS . A Tlistory of British JBirds , Indigenous and Jdigratory . J ^ j William Mnegillivray , 5 vols . Orr and Co . [ SECOND ARTICLE . ] UNQUESTTOaSTAULK as it is that we must educate our eyes to observe , and that it is the mind after all which observes , thereby often seeing , through the spectacles of prejudice , that which docs not strike upon the retina , and overseeing that which does—unquestionable as it is that we are taught by Poetry and Philosophy to look at Nature with increased sagacity , and to delight in details which would not otherwise have attracted us , no less true is it that the study of Nature in turn intensifies our delight in Art . Mr . Macgillivray gives us an example in reference to so common a bird as the house-sparrow : — " It is curious to observe how its mode of progression and attitudes are modi Hod l » y tht ) condition of the ground ; ibr , when the hitter is dry , it moves about with the tibio-rarsul joints much bent , and the tail depressed , whereas , when it is wet , it keeps the log extended , the body stretched up , and the tail elevated . This cir-< -iiiiiN ( anee brings to mv recollection the pleasure I experienced on seeing : i celebrated painting , representing some cows in a meadow , by Cuyp , in which a magpie 1 'iwl been figured walking about with its tail elevated to keep it from contact with the moist grass , —a fact which probably would have escaped the notice of at least "nie-tonths of those who undertake to represent nature on canvas . "
The eH ' ecfc of prejudice , just ; hinted at , is singularly misleading . One tfivnt . source of error is , that unconscious tendency to interpret the actions ° ' animals by f , he human standard , —that is to say , attributing to them motives minilni * to those which would actuate us . . Kven our author Hulls into ( he common mistake of supposing that birds " know the distance at winch it in Hufo for them to be from a man armed with u gun , " assuming ha ' -a , l , i ,. ( i w j 1 () ] ias , u > V (> r H ( , gUIlj | u , ovvs " by instinct" that it Avill j ' " him at a , certain distance . Again , the raven , like the eagle , often in . ' weather , scans to an immense height ., ami Naturalists observing V ' " ' have imagined them to bo . searching for their food , and hence have ! l . '"ison 1 ' hc- marvellous accounts of the distances at which the oaglo < ran li'Nery i | M prey ; but as Macgillivray properly remarks , " had they l'ulicntl y watched , they niitfht have found ( hat these quiet soarings have ^ 'l ^ nco l <> . "
prey ' < ' great merit of these volumes eonnis ( H in their author havi ; ig really <> werved for himself ; and thus , among many other things , he can tell uh 01 ' -lie rave n : ¦—H . ' lllv 'i ) tf enjoyed ample opportunities of cultivating nn acquaintance with this l M ! t'i ( 'K in t , h ( , () U ( , . Hebrides , I shall describe its niunnerH as observed by me in ill ( U (! »» 'y , but to the naturalist highly interesting islands . There the Raven , Ht- 'Wch oi food , muy bo aeon , either singly or in pairs , in all aorta of situation )* ,
along the rocky shores , on the sand fords , the sides , of the hills , the inland moors , and the mountain tops . It flies at a moderate height , proceeding rather slowly , deviating to either side , sailing at intervals , and seldom uttering any sound . When it has discovered a dead sheep , it alights on a stone , a peat bank , or other eminence , folds up its wings , looks around , and croaks . It then advances nearer , eyes its prey with attention , leaps upon it , and in a half-crouching attitude examines it . Finding matters as it wished , it Croats aloud , picks out an eye , devours part of the tongue if that organ be protruded , and lastly attacks the subcaudal region . By this time another raven has usually come up . They perforate the abdomen , drag oufc and swallow portions of the intestines , and continue to feast until satiated or disturbed . Sometimes , especially should it be winter , they are joined by a Great Black-backed Gull , or even a Herring Gull , which , although at first shy , are
allowed to come in for a share of the plunder ; but should an eagle arrive , both they and the gulls retire to a short distanee , the former waiting patiently , the latter walking backwards and forwards uttering plaintive cries , until the intruder departs . When the carcase is that of a larger animal than a sheep , they do not however fly off , although an eagle or even a dog should arrive . ' Peris convivialis observes Linnaeus , and the fact is proverbial in the Hebrides , where this bird is named Biadhtach , and where biadhtachd , which etymologically is analogous to ravening , signifies associating for the purpose of eating and making merry . These observations I have made while lying in wait in little huts constructed for the purpose of shooting eagles and ravens from them . The latter I have allowed to remain unmolested for hours , that they might attract the former to the carrion ; and in this manner I have been enabled to watch their actions when they were
perfectly unrestrained . The whole of this chapter on the Raven is of unusual interest . We make one more extract relative to the raven population : — " It has seemed to me strange that in a country where , under ordinary circumstances , few ravens are seen , so many as from twenty to two hundred or more should collect in a few days . In perambulating these islands , one scarcely meets with more than a pair in the space of a mile or so ; and in Harris , where their breeding places were pretty generally known to me , I could not count a dozen pairs along a coast-line of as many miles . In Pabbay , as mentioned above , several
hundreds had come together , so that the people naturally marvelled whence they had arrived . If along a coast-line of ten miles there are ten pairs of ravens , with five young birds to each , or seventy in all , on one of a hundred and forty there might be nearly a thousand . Pabbay is two miles distant from Berneray , and six from Harris . Even should the wind blow in the latter direction , it is not likely that a raven should smell carrion six miles distant , and in Berneray , which the effluvia might reach , there are not usually more than three or four resident pairs . The birds of the west coast of Lewis , South Uist , and Barray , could not be guided a distance of fifty miles or more by the smell . How then did they arrive in Pabbay ? It , seems to me that the phenomenon may be explained thus .
" The two pairs of ravens residing in Pabbay itself , would , with their broods , first perceive the carcases . Those of Berneray might stroll over , as they often do , or they might see the prey , as might those on the Harris coast . Ravens have character in their flight , as men have in their walk . A poet sauntering by a river , a conchologist or fish-woman looking for shells along the shore , a sportsman searching the fields , a footman going on a message , a lady running home from a shower , or a gentleman retreating from a mad bull , move each in a different manner , suiting the action to the occasion . Ravens do the same , as well as other birds ; and so , those at the next station , perhaps a mile distant , judging by tlie flight of their neighbours that they had a prize in view , might naturally follow . In . this manner , the intelligence might be communicated over a large extent of country , and in a single day a great number might assemble . We know from observation that ravens can perceive an object at a great distance , but that they can smell food a quarter of a mile off we have no proof whatever ; and as we can account for the phenomenon by their sight , it is unnecessary to have recourse to their other faculties . "
The Crow also comes in for his share of attention , and deserves it What think you of TIIE CROW ' S JOCOSITY P " The Carrion Crow is very easily tamed , and is strongly attached to the person who brings him up . I kept one for two years and a half . It flew round about tho neighbourhood , and roosted every night on the trees of my shrubbery . At whatever distance he was , as soon as he beard my voice he immediately came to me . lie was very fond of being caressed , but should any one except myself stroke him on the head or back , he was sure to make the blood spring from their lingers . II n seemed to take a very great delight in pecking the heels of barefooted youths . The more terrified they were , the more did his joy seem to increase . " The affection of birds for their young is variouHly illustrated in theno volumes ; and the following extract will not only be a pleasing illustration of parental solicitude , but also of the minute observation which gives such value to this work : —
"' On Saturday morning the ]() th of June , 1837 , at half past , two o ' clock , 1 went into a house made of the branches of trees , to watch the blackbirds whilst , they were feeding their brood . It was within nine feet of their nest , which was built / in the hole of nn old wall . It is a . situation for which they and the thrushes nceni to have had a strong predilection , for it has been occupied by one or other ol ' them for a number of years successively . The morning was so cold , with a heavy rain and a stroi ' . g breeze from the cast , Unit I was obliged to wrap myself up in a warm cloak and a mackintosh waterproof . " ' At a quarter-past three o'clock in the morning , they began to iced their young , which were four in number . From that time until four o ' clock , Mie nwlo fed them only once , and . sang almost incessantly , whilst ( ho female I ' vd them nix
times . From four to five o ' clock tlm male fed them six , and the female three times ; from five to six o ' clock the undo fed them four , and I lie female live tiincu ; from six to seven o ' clock the male fed thorn three , and the female five times ; and from seven to eight o ' el 6 ck the male led them three times . For the last four hours lie sang most delightfully , except when ho was feeding his tender offspring . As he bad induced one of them to lly out after him , I was under the necessity of fixing it into its nest , and this caused some intorruption to their feeding . I'Yoin eight to nine o'clock the male fed them six , and tlm female seven times ; and from nine to ten o ' clock the male fed them four , and I lie female three times . In keeping both the inside and outside of their nest clean they arts very particular . A dropping <> f one of the young bivda huvine fallen to the ground , the male immediately curried
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 16, 1852, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_16101852/page/19/
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