SECT. XVI. 9. OF INSTINCT. 183 



educates as her own offspring : and the wagtails, or 

 hedge-fparrows, learn it from the young cuckoo 

 their fofter nurfling, and fupply him with food long 

 after he can fly about, whenever they hear his 

 cuckooing, which Linneus tells us, is his call of 

 hunger, (Syft. Nat.) And all our domeftic ani- 

 mals are readily taught to come to us for food, 

 when we ufe one tone of voice, and to fly from our 

 anger, when we ufe another. 



Rabbits, as they cannot eafily articulate founds, 

 and are formed into focieties, that live under ground, 

 have a very* different method of giving alarm. When 

 danger is threatened, they thump on the ground 

 with one of their hinder feet, and produce a found, 

 that can be heard a great way by animals near the 

 furface of the earth, which would feem to be an ar- 

 tificial fign both from its fmgularity and its aptnefs 

 to the fituation of the animal. 



The rabbits on the iilarid of Sor, near Senegal, 

 have white flelh, and are well tafted, but do not bur- 

 row in the earth, fo that we may fufpect their dig- 

 ging themfelves houfes in this cold climate is an ac- 

 quired art, as well as their note of alarm, (Adan- 

 fon's Voyage to Senegal). 



The barking of dogs is another curious note of 

 alarm, and would feem to be an acquired language, 

 rather than a natural fign : for " in the ifland of 

 Juan Fernandes, the dogs did not attempt to bark, 

 till fome European dogs were put among them, and 

 then they gradually begun to imitate them, but in 

 a firange manner at firft, as if they were learning a 

 thing that was not natural to them," (Voyage to 

 South America by Don G. Juan, and Don Ant. de 

 Ulloa. B. 2. c. 4.) 



Linnaeus alfo obferves, that the dogs of South 

 America do not bark at ftrangers. (Syft. Nat.) And 

 the European dogs, that have been can ied to Guinea, 

 are faid in three or four generations to ceafe to bark, 



and 



