Sect. XVI. 9. 1 . OF INSTINCT. 1 1 5 



defigns upon her young. She becomes agitated with fear, and 

 ufes the natural language of that paffion, her young ones catch 

 the fear by imitation, and in an inftant conceal themfelves in 



the grafs. 



At the fame time that me (hews her fears by her gefture and 

 deportment, (he ufes a certain exclamation, Koe-ut, Koe-ut, and 

 the young ones afterwards know, when they hear this note, 

 though they do not fee their dam, that the prefence of their ad- 

 verfary is denounced, and hide themfelves as before. 



The wild tribes of birds have very frequent opportunities of 

 knowing their enemies, by obferving the deftrutlion they make 

 among their progeny, of which every year but a fmall part 

 efcapes to maturity : but to our domeftic birds thefe opportuni- 

 ties fo rarely occur, that their knowledge of their diftant ene- 

 mies muft frequently be delivered by tradition in the manner 

 above explained, through many generations. 



This note of danger, as well as the other notes of the mother- 

 turkey, when fhe calls her flock to their food, or to fleep under 

 her wings, appears to be an artificial language, both as exprefTed 

 by the mother, and as underftood by the progeny. For a hen 

 teaches this language with equal eafe to the ducklings, fhe has 

 hatched from fuppofitious eggs, and educates as her own ofF- 

 fpring : and the wagtails, or hedge-fparrows, learn it from the 

 young cuckoo their fofter nuriling, and fupply him with food 

 long after he can fly about, whenever they hear his cuckooing, 

 which Linnaeus tells us, is his call of hunger, (Syft. Nat.) And 

 all our domeftic animals are readily taught to come to us for 

 food, when we ufe one tone of voice, and to fly from our anger, 

 when we ufe another. 



Rabbits, as they cannot eafily articulate founds, and are form- 

 ed into focieties, that live under ground, have ?. very different 

 method of giving alarm. When danger is threatened, they 

 thump on the ground with one of their hinder feet, and produce 

 5i found, that can be heard a great way by animals near the fur- 

 face of the earth, which would feem to be an artificial fign both 

 from its Angularity and its aptnefs to the fituation of the animal. 



The rabbits on the ifland of Sor, near" Senegal, have white 

 fleih, and are well tailed, but do not burrow in the earth, fo 

 that we may fufpeci their digging themfelves houfes in this cold 

 climate is an acquired art, as well as their note of alarm, (Adan- 

 fon's Voyage to Senegal). 



The barking of dogs is another curious note of alarm, and 

 would feem to be an acquired language, rather than a natural 

 fign : for " in the ifland of Juan Fernandes, the dogs did not 

 attempt to bark, till fome European dogs were put among them, 



and 



