Sect. XVI. 14. 1. OF INSTINCT. i 33 



the whole, and that, confidering it a curiofity, he walked to 

 look at it feveral times, was perfectly fatisfied as to its being a 

 cuckoo, and thought her more attentive to her young, than any 

 other bird he ever obferved, having always found her brooding 

 her young. In about a week after I firlt faw the young ones, 

 one of them was miffing, and I rather fufpected my plough-boys 

 having taken it j though it might poffibly have been taken by a 

 hawk, fometime when the old one was feeking food. I never 

 found her off her neft but once, and that was the laft time I faw 

 the remaining young one, when it was almoft full feathered. I 

 then went from home for two or three days, and, when I return- 

 ed, the young one was gone, which I take for granted had flown. 

 Though during this time I frequently faw cuckoos in the thick- 

 et I mention, I never obferved any one, that I fuppofed to be the 

 cock-bird, paired with this hen." 



Nor is this a new obfervation, though it is entirely overlooked 

 by the modern naturalifts, for Ariftotle fpeaking of the cuckoo, 

 afierts that fhe fometimes builds her neft among broken rocks, 

 and on high mountains, (L. 6. H. c 1.) but adds in another 

 place that fhe generally pofleffes the neft of another bird, (L. 6\ 

 H. c. 7.) And Niphus fays that cuckoos rarely build for them- 

 felves, moft frequently laying their eggs in the nefts of other 

 birds, (Gefner, L. 3. de Cuculo.) 



The Philofopher who is acquainted with thefe fa£ls concern- 

 ing the cuckoo, would feem to have very little reafon himfelf, if 

 he could imagine this neglect of her young to be a necefiary 

 injVin& ! 



XIV. The deep rccefTes of the ocean are inaccefiible to man- 

 kind, which prevents us from having much knowledge of the 

 arts and government of its inhabitants. 



1. One of the baits ufed by the fiiherman is an animal called 

 an Old Soldier ; his fize and form are fomewhat like the craw- 

 fifh, with this difference, that his tail is covered with a tough 

 membrane inftead of a fhell ; and to obviate this defect, he feeks 

 out the uninhabited fhell of fome dead fifh," that is large enough 

 to receive his tail, and carries it about with him as part of his 

 clothing or armour. 



2. On the coafts about Scarborough, where the haddocks, 

 cods, and dog-fifh, are in great abundance, the fifhermen univer- 

 fally believe that the dog-fifh make a line, or femicircle, to en- 

 compafs a fhoal of haddocks and cod, confining them within 

 certain limits near the fhore, and eating them as occafion re- 

 quires. For the haddocks and cod are always found near the 

 more without any dog-fifh among them, and the dog-fifh further 

 rff without any haddocks or cod $ and yet the former are known 



to 



