Rural Sports, Volume 3

Front Cover
Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme, 1812
 

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 5 - tis God directs, in that 'tis man. Who taught the nations of the field and wood To shun their poison, and to chuse their food? Prescient, the tides or tempests to withstand, Build on the wave, or arch beneath the sand ? Who made the spider parallels design, Sure as De Moivre, without rule or line?
Page 12 - ... of human creatures, as imitating the language of different animals. Thus, for instance, the affinity between chatterers and monkeys, and praters and parrots, is too obvious not to occur at once : grunters and growlers may be justly compared to hogs : snarlers are curs...
Page 2 - ... gestures as to appear like a wounded and dying bird; the kingfisher darts along like an arrow; fern-owls or goat-suckers, glance in the dusk over the tops of trees like a meteor; starlings as it were swim along, while misselthrushes use a wild and desultory flight; swallows sweep over the surface of the ground and water, and distinguish themselves by rapid turns and quick evolutions; swifts dash round in circles; and the bank-martin moves with frequent vacillations like a butterfly. Most of the...
Page 120 - ... commit the offender to the common gaol or house of correction, there to be imprisoned only, or to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour...
Page 393 - In the centre of this grove there stood an oak, which, though shapely and tall on the whole, bulged out into a large excrescence about the middle of the stem. On this a pair of ravens had fixed their residence for such a series of years, that the oak was distinguished by the title of the Raven Tree.
Page 17 - A bird's nest. Mark it well ! — within, without; No tool had he that wrought — no knife to cut, No nail to fix — no bodkin to insert — No glue to join ; his little beak was all. And yet how neatly finished ! What nice hand, With every implement and means of art, And twenty years...
Page 12 - However this may be, we may consider those whose tongues hardly seem to be under the influence of reason, and do not keep up the proper conversation of human creatures, as imitating the language of different animals. Thus, for instance, the affinity between Chatterers and Monkeys, and Praters...
Page 394 - February) when those birds usually sit. The saw was applied to the butt, the wedges were inserted into the opening, the woods echoed to the heavy blows of the beetle or mallet, the tree nodded to its fall ; but still the dam sat on. At last, when it gave way, the bird was flung from her nest ; and, though her parental affection deserved a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs, which brought her dead to the ground.
Page 18 - To view the structure of this little work, A bird's nest. Mark it well, within, without. No tool had he that wrought, no knife to cut, No nail to fix, no bodkin to insert, No glue to join; his little beak was all. And yet how neatly finish'd ! What nice hand, With ev'ry implement and means of art, And twenty years apprenticeship to boot, Could make me such another?
Page 6 - One in their nature, which are two in ours; And Reason raise o'er Instinct as you can, In this 'tis God directs, in that 'tis man.

Bibliographic information