146 LECTURE XI. 



Instinct has taught a curious little animal in 

 Australia, something between a rabbit and a rat, 

 to collect two or three cartloads of sticks, inter- 

 woven in such a way as to form one solid mass, 

 and in this the young are brought forth and 

 reared. The object in doing this is to protect 

 the youn^ from being destroyed by the wild 

 dogs of the country. Instinct has also taught 

 some birds, where monkeys and snakes abound, 

 to build their nests at the extremity of slender 

 branches of trees, in which they lay their eggs 

 and rear their young in perfect security. 



At Cape Comorin, the most southern part of 

 Hindostan, there is a bird call the baya bird, 

 which suspends a glow-worm to its nest. These 

 birds are very numerous there, and they have 

 hanging nests. At night each of their little 

 habitations is lighted up by a firefly stuck on 

 the top with a bit of clay. The nest consists of 

 two rooms. Sometimes there are three or four 

 flies on them, and their blaze in the little cell 

 dazzles the eyes of the bats, which often kill and 

 feed on the young of these birds. I have the 

 authority of Dr. Buchanan for this interesting 

 anecdote. 



In relating these facts to you, I wish to im* 



