principally on the winds. An exact naturalist a : l 

 Malta has assured himself of this, that the same species 

 always change their climate with particular winds. In 

 April the south-west wind brings into that island a 

 species of plovers, arid the nortk-west, cardinals, and 

 quails. Nearly at the same time, falcons, buzzards, and 

 other birds of prey, come with the north-west wind, 

 -without, stopping, and depart in October with the south 

 and west. In summer the easterly wind conducts the 

 snipes to Malta, and, towards the autumn, the north 

 and north-west bring thither numerous squadrons of 

 woodcocks. These birds cannot fly, like the quails, be- 

 fore the winds, since the north wind, which might 

 carry them into Barbary, obliges them to remain 

 in the isles. Quails, on the contrary, emigrate 

 before the wind from one country to another. The 

 south-east enables them -to pass, in the month of March, 

 from Barbary into France. They return from France 

 in September, and go to Malta by a south-east. The 

 winds, therefore, are the signals employed by nature for 

 reminding divers kinds of birds of the time of their de- 

 parture. In obedience to this voice, they set out, and 

 follow the direction it points out to them. 



What a series of interesting circumstances would not 

 the construction of their nests also present us with! A 

 chaffinch or goldfinch's nest would take us up -whole 

 hours in contemplating it We should enquire where 

 the ^goldfinch could furnish itself with a cot-ton so fine, 

 silky, and soft, as Hues the inside of its pretty nest! 

 After many researches, we should find that, by covering 

 the seeds of certain willows with a very fine cotton, na- 

 ture has prepared for the goldfinch the down she em- 

 ploys. We should never be weary of considering that 

 kind of embroidery with which the chaffinch so agreea- 

 bly adorns the outside of his nest, and, on viewing it 

 more narrowly, we should perceive that it is owing to an 

 infinity of little liverworts, artfully interwoven together, 

 and applied with the utmost propriety over the whole 

 surface of the nest. The colour of these liverworts, 

 which is most commonly that of the bark of the tree 



