26 INGENUITY OF A DORMOUSE. 



between its bottom and the irregular surface on which 

 it rested^ with a linen cloth. This cloth the bees, 

 finding themselves in a situation where no moss was 

 to be had, tore thread from thread, carded it with' 

 their feet into a felted mass, and applied it to the same 

 purpose as moss, for which it was nearly as well 

 adapted. Some other humble-bees tore the cover of 

 a book with which he had closed the top of the box 

 that contained them, and made use of the detached 

 morsels in covering their nest. 



'^ I once witnessed a similar instance of ingenuity in 

 a tame dormouse which escaped out of its box, and 

 contrived to conceal itself for two days in the comer 

 of a pantry, close to where the bread was kept. In 

 order to keep itself warm, it had bitten off with its 

 teeth part of a damask napkin which it afterwards 

 thoroughly carded with its feet, so as to leave no trace 

 of threads or texture, but merely a mass of soft down, 

 in the middle of which the fugitive was found imbed- 

 ded and asleep. 



" The instincts by which insects and animals pro- 

 vide themselves with food, or add to the comforts of 

 their local position ; the manner, for instance, in which 

 cattle will take shelter during a stonn, are all refer- 

 able to sensations which we can partly understand ; 

 but we are less able to account for the wonderful geo- 

 graphical knowledge which they sometimes display. 



