146 NATURAL HISTORY 



Should I farther corroborate what I have advanced above 

 by some anecdotes which I probably may have mentioned 

 before in conversation, yet you will, I trust, pardon the repe- 

 tition for the sake of the illustration. 



The flycatcher of the Zoology (the stoparola of Ray,) builds 

 every year in the vines that grow on the walls of my house. 

 A pair of these little birds had one year inadvertently placed 

 their nest on a naked bough, perhaps in a shady time, not 

 being aware of the inconvenience that followed. But an hot 

 sunny season coming on before the brood was half fledged, 

 the reflection of the wall became insupportable, and must 

 inevitably have destroyed the tender young, had not affection 

 suggested an expedient, and prompted the parent-birds to 

 hover over the nest all the hotter hours, while with wings 

 expanded, and mouths gaping for breath, they screened off 

 the heat from their suffering offspring. 



A farther instance I once saw of notable sagacity in a 

 willow-wren, which had built in a bank in my fields. This 

 bird a friend and myself had observed as she sat in her nest ; 

 but were particularly careful not to disturb her, though we 

 saw she eyed us with some degree of jealousy. Some days 

 after as we passed that way we were desirous of remarking 

 how this brood went on ; but no nest could be found, till 1 

 happened to take up a large bundle of long green moss, as it 

 were, carelessly thrown over the nest, in order to dodge the 

 eye of any impertinent intruder. 



A still more remarkable mixture of sagacity and instinct 

 occurred to me one day as my people were pulling off the 

 lining of an hotbed, in order to add some fresh dung. From 

 out of the side of this bed leaped an animal with great 

 agility that made a most grotesque figure ; nor was it 

 without great difficulty that it could be taken; when it 

 proved to be a large white-bellied field-mouse with three or 

 four young clinging to her teats by their mouths and feet. 

 It was amazing that the desultory and rapid motions of 

 this dam should not oblige her litter to quit their hold, espe- 

 cially when it appeared that they were so young as to be 

 both naked and blind ! 



