SECT. XVI. ii. OF INSTINCT. 191 



The antennas, or horns, of butterflies and moths, 

 who have awkward wings, the minute feathers of 

 which are very liable to injury, ferve, I fuppofe, a 

 fimilar purpofe of meafuring, as they fly or creep 

 amongft the leaves of plants or trees, whither their 

 wings can pafs without touching them. 



Mr. Leonard, a very intelligent friend of mine, 

 faw a cat catch a trout by darting upon it in a deep 

 clear water at the mill at Weaford, near Lichfield. 

 The cat belonged to Mr. Stanley, who had often 

 feen her catch fifh in the fame manner in fummer, 

 when the mill-pool was drawu fo low, that the fifti 

 could be feen. I have heard of other cats taking 

 fifh in mallow water, as they flood on the bank. 

 This feems a natural art of taking their prey in cats, 

 which their acquired delicacy by domeftication has 

 in general prevented them from ufing, though their 

 defire of eating fifh continues in its original ftrength. 

 Mr. White, in his ingenious Hiftory of Selbourn, 

 was witnefs to a cat's fuckling a young hare, which 

 followed her about the garden, and came jumping 

 to her call of affection. At Elford near Lichfield, 

 the Rev. Mr. Sawley had taken the young ones out 

 of a hare, which was fhot ; they were alive, and the 

 cat, who had juft lofl her own kittens, carried them 

 away, as it was fuppofed, to eat them ; but it pre- 

 fently appeared, that it was affection not hunger 

 which incited her, as fhe fuckled them, and brought 

 them up as their mother. 



Other inflances of the miftaken application of 

 what has been termed indinct may be obferved in 

 flies in the night, who miftaking a candle for day* 

 light, approach and perifh in the flame. So the pu- 

 trid fmell of the flapelia, or carrion-flqwer, allures 

 the large flefh-fly to depofit its young worms on its 

 beautiful petals, which perifh there for want of 

 ftourifhment. This therefore cannot be a necefTary 



inftinft 



