The WILD TURKEY is a very fine bird, and often weighs 40 lbs. and upwards. They are frequently seen in large flocks in various parts of the Upper Province; but I have never observed more than eight or ten of them together. In the Winter they sometimes light in the farm-yards in quest of food, which they fearlessly pick up, in partnership with the poultry.

The PHEASANT, or "Partridge," as it is sometimes called, is, I believe, a bird péculiar to the American Continent. It is, however, quite different from the English Pheasant and Partridge. Its flesh is as white and as tender as that of a chicken; and it is at all times in excellent condition and well-flavoured. In colour, it bears a greater resemblance to a Partridge, than to a Pheasant; but it has a long tail, which it elevates and spreads like the Peacock. It never appears in the corn-fields, but delights to pick about in the wilderness, out of whose precincts it seldom wanders. In Winter, it subsists on the buds of trees; and, in Summer, on fruits and nuts. When sprung, it always flies up into a tree; where it remains for a considerable time, unless it be brought down by the gun. During the months of April, September, and October, the cock spends at least two-thirds of the day in drumming on some decayed log: This he does by striking his wings against his sides, which produces a noise similar to that of distant thunder, a peculiarity, affording to me strong

presumptive evidence, that he is of the Pheasant kind.

QUAILS are common in the old settlements, and are exactly similar to birds of the same name in England.

In the Spring of the year, PIGEONS arrive in vast, flocks from the Southern country. They continue here all the Summer, and are taken in great numbers in nets similar to plover-nets. Five hundred are sometimes taken at a spring, and 30 or 35 are frequently killed by a single shot. The Canadians salt and barrel the breasts of these birds, reserving the other parts for immediate use. Wilson's Ornithology contains a calculation relative to the flocks of these birds which annually move Northward from the back of the central and Southern States: It appears incredible, but my own personal observations have satisfied me of its correctness. He says, he observed a flock passing between Frankfort and the Indian territory, one mile at least in breadth: It took up four hours in passing, which, at the rate of one mile per minute, gives a length of 240 miles; and supposing three pigeons to each square yard, --which is certainly an exceedingly moderate supposition, there must have been the immense number of 2,230,272,000 in that single flock.

TURTLE-DOVES, whose beautiful plumage, delicate shape, and innocent looks, are well calculated to attract attention, are also very numerous.

5

There are five different kinds of WoOD-PECKERS in Canada; two of which are very beautiful both in

regard to shape and colour. The largest,-Picus erythrocephalus,-which is commonly called by the Canadians," Cock of the Wood," has a crimson poll, with a large tuft of the same colour projecting horizontally over his neck. His back and wings are beautifully mottled with black and white; and his tail is a dark green. The Wood-peckers are all furnished with very hard sharp angular bills. With these they penetrate the hardest trees in quest of insects, on which they subsist. Their tongues are nearly three times the length of their bills, being pointed and dentated on each side. They always attack dead trees, and make a noise in the application of their bills, while boring them, full as loud as, and somewhat similar to, the noise produced by a joiner's hammer when rapidly applied to the head of a nail.

The MOCK-BIRD is nearly as large as a thrush. It makes a noise like the mewing of a cat, and is said, to possess not only its own natural notes, which, Buffon says, "are musical and solemn," but also the faculty of imitating every bird in the forest. The author just quoted informs his readers, "that it frequently sits all night upon the chimnies of the American Planters' houses, pouring out the sweetest and most varied notes of any bird whatever." All this sounds very well three or four thousand miles from America, where all are willing to believe and few are able to contradict the assertion. But, I can assure you, like many other tales that are told about America, it has its

source in misrepresentation. Though I have been an American planter for many years, my "chimney" has never been honoured with music so enchanting, nor my ears delighted with the Mockbird's" varied notes," either natural or imitative; neither have I heard, at any time, since my arrival in the country, of its possessing those extraordinary powers. It has one or two notes not unlike those of a thrush, and of these it seems very sparing; for it seldom uses them for more than a minute at any one time, and always begins and concludes with an inharmonious scream. But if the Mock-bird were possessed of the power of "imitating every other bird in the American forest," his musical excellence, and capabilities, as exhibited in his practice, would neither render him a more celebrated songster, nor enable him to give more satisfaction to the lovers of true harmony than he does at present. The united exertions of any number of unskilful voices would, I suppose, be inadequate to the production of a melodious gamut; for, NUMBERS in music, whatever may be their potent charms in poetry, have, I presume, no inseparable connection with harmony: This question therefore must be left to be solved by the philosophers, "If all the notes, produced by the birds of Canada, were sounded forth individually by the little throats to which they peculiarly belong, or collectively by the ci-devant far-famed songster the Mock-bird, would they be found alike unmusical and inharmonious ?". Com

mon sense and experience have already determined this problem.

The Canadian THRUSH, in shape and size, is exactly like that of Ireland; but its plumage is more beautiful. The Canadians aver, that they frequently hear it sing in the morning during the months of Spring; but, I suppose, it must be before Europeans usually awake, -for I never met with any one, except a native, who had heard the song of the Thrush. Though I myself am not a late riser, its notes have never reached my ears. I have, it is true, heard one note, which was given without any variation; and I consider its tiresome monotony just as much entitled to the name of "singing," as the shrill whistle, which, after much labour and expence of breath, a child is enabled to elicit from a flute, is, in technical language, entitled to be called playing on the flute." Indeed, the Canadian Thrush always appears to me, as if attempting to learn a song, which, for want of instruction, it is not able to acquire.

The American ROBIN, or the bird bearing that name, is in reality the FIELD-FARE, which visits England in Winter.

Its

The BLUE JAY is larger than a thrush; and continues in Canada throughout the year. plumage is very beautiful; but the harsh and discordant sounds of its croaking voice are exceedingly offensive to the ear.

A bird, called the KING-FISHER, and somewhat larger than a snipe, but entirely different from the