186 LECTURE XIV. 



the sun, and flying there with great rapidity 

 and as straight as a ball from a musket. 



And here let me give a curious instance of 

 instinct in an ass. This animal was shipped on 

 board the Ister frigate, Captain Forrest, at 

 Gibraltar, to be conveyed to Malta. The vessel, 

 however, struck on some sands off the Point de 

 Gat, at some distance from the shore, and the 

 ass was thrown overboard, to give it a chance 

 of swimming to land a poor one, for the sea 

 was running so high that a boat which left the 

 ship was lost. A few days afterwards, however, 

 when the gates of Gibraltar were opened in the 

 morning, the ass presented himself for admit- 

 tance, and proceeded to the stable of Mr. Weeks, 

 a merchant, which he had formerly occupied, to 

 the great surprise of that gentleman, who thought 

 that, from some accident, the animal had never 

 been shipped on board the Ister. On the return 

 of that vessel to repair the mystery was ex- 

 plained, and it turned out that the ass had not 

 only swum safely to shore, but, without guide, 

 compass, or travelling-map, had found his way 

 from Point de Gat to Gibraltar a distance of 

 more than 200 miles, which he had never tra- 



