The Natural History of Ireland: Birds, comprising the orders Raptores & Insessores.-v. 2. Birds, comprising the orders Rasores & Grallatores.-v. 3. Birds, comprising the order Natatores.-v. 4. Mammalia, reptiles, and fishes, also Invertebrata

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Page 18 - Scaling yonder peak, I saw an eagle wheeling near its brow O'er the abyss: — his broad -expanded wings Lay calm and motionless upon the air, As if he floated there without their aid, By the sole act of his unlorded will, That buoyed him proudly up.
Page 18 - O'er the abyss. His broad expanded wings Lay calm and motionless upon the air, As if he floated there without their aid, By the sole act of his unlorded will, That buoyed him proudly up. Instinctively I bent my bow; yet kept he rounding still His airy circle, as in the delight Of measuring the ample range beneath And round about; absorbed, he heeded not The death that threatened him. I could not shoot— 'Twas Liberty! I turned my bow aside, And let him soar away!
Page 350 - My box would speak if it had but a tongue, And two or three shillings would do it no wrong, Sing holly, sing ivy — sing ivy, sing holly, A drop just to drink, it would drown melancholy.
Page 351 - Rhodian children sang of old, in Spring, bearing in their hands, from door to door, a swallow, as herald of the season : " The Swallow is come ! The Swallow is come ! O fair are the seasons, and light Are the days that she brings, With her dusky wings, And her bosom snowy white!
Page 379 - ... open halls. Here and there a bird may affect some odd, peculiar place ; as we have known a swallow build down the shaft of an old well, through which chalk had been formerly drawn up, for the purpose of manure ; but, in general, with us this hirundo breeds in chimneys, and loves to haunt those stacks where there is a constant fire — no doubt for the sake of warmth.
Page 269 - ... linnets congregating towards the close of a fine winter's evening, perched on the summit of some bare tree, pluming themselves in the last rays of the sun, chirruping the commencement of their evening song, and then bursting simultaneously into one general chorus; again resuming their single strains, and again joining, as if happy and rejoicing at the termination of their day's employment.
Page 350 - The favourite in the betting was of course the eagle, who at once, and in full confidence of victory, commenced his flight towards the sun : when he had vastly distanced all competitors, he proclaimed with a mighty voice his monarchy over all things that had wings. Suddenly, however, the wren, who had secreted himself under the feathers of the eagle's crest (another account says, tail), popped from his hiding-place, flew a few inches upwards, and chirped out as loudly as he could, " Birds, look up...
Page 350 - The wran, the wran, the king of all birds, St. Stephen's day was cot in the furze, Although he is little his family's grate, Put yer hand in yer pocket and give us a trate.
Page 328 - Do you find all places without trees ? Pray observe the inhabitants about Wexford ; they are old English; see what they have particular in their manners, names, and language. Magpies have been always there, and no where else in Ireland, till of late years.
Page 9 - But my friend Richard Langtry, Esq. of Fortwilliam, near Belfast, has at present a bird of this species, which is extremely docile and tractable. It was taken last summer from a nest in Inverness-shire, and came into his possession about the end of September. This bird at once became attached to its owner, who, after having it about a month, ventured to give it liberty, a privilege which was not in the eagle's part abused, as it came to the lure whenever called.

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