always
given, among the fine arts, to good dancing. If you think of it, you
will find one of the robin's very chief ingratiatory faculties is his
dainty and delicate movement,--his footing it featly here and there.
Whatever prettiness there may be in his red breast, at his brightest he
can always be outshone by a brickbat. But if he is rationally proud of
anything about him, I should think a robin must be proud of his legs.
Hundreds of birds have longer and more imposing ones--but for real
neatness, finish, and precision of action, commend me to his fine
little ankles, and fine little feet; this long stilted process, as you
know, corresponding to our ankle-bone. Commend me, I say, to the robin
for use of his ankles--he is, of all birds, the pre-eminent and
characteristic Hopper; none other so light, so pert, or so swift.

25. We must not, however, give too much credit to his legs in this
matter. A robin's hop is half a flight; he hops, very essentially, with
wings and tail, as well as with his feet, and the exquisitely rapid
opening and quivering of the tail-feathers certainly give half the
force to his leap. It is in this action that he is put among the
motacillae, or wagtails; but the ornithologists have no real business
to put him among them. The swing of the long tail feathers in the true
wagtail is entirely consequent on its motion, not impulsive of it--the
tremulous shake is _after_ alighting. But the robin leaps with wing,
tail, and foot, all in time, and all helping each other. Leaps, I say;
and you check at the word; and ought to check: you look at a bird
hopping, and the motion is so much a matter of course, you never think
how it is done. But do you think you would find it easy to hop like a
robin if you had two--all but wooden--legs, like this?

26. I have looked wholly in vain through all my books on birds, to find
some account of the muscles it uses in hopping, and of the part of the
toes with which the spring is given. I must leave you to find out that
for yourselves; it is a little bit of anatomy which I think it highly
desirable for you to know, but which it is not my business to teach
you. Only observe, this is the point to be made out. You leap
yourselves, with the toe and ball of the foot; but, in that power of
leaping, you lose the faculty of grasp; on the contrary, with your
hands, you grasp as a bird with its feet. But you cannot hop on your
hands. A cat, a leopard, and a monkey, leap or grasp wi