SECT. XVI. 13. OF INSTINCT. 201 



to you ? And thus barters his love for your pro. 

 tection ? In the fame manner that all contrads arc 

 made amongft men, that do not underftand each 

 others' arbitrary language. 



The Conjlruftion of their Ne/ls. 



1. They feem to be inftrufted how to build their 

 nefts from their obfervation of that, in which they 

 were educated, and from their knowledge of thofe 

 things, that are mod agreeable to their touch in 

 refped to warmth, cleanlinefs, and (lability. They 

 choofe their fituations from their ideas of fafety 

 from their enemies., and of flicker from the wea- 

 ther. Nor is the colour of their nefts a circum- 

 ftance unthought of; the finches, that build in 

 green hedges, cover their habitations with green 

 mofs ; the fwallow or martin, that builds againft 

 rocks and houfes, covers her's with clay, whilfi 

 the lark choofes vegetable ftraw nearly of the co- 

 lour of the ground (lie inhabits : by this contrivance, 

 they are all lefs liable 1 to be difcovered by their ad- 

 verlaries. 



2. Nor are the nefts of the fame fpecies of birds 

 conftrucled always of the fame materials, nor in the 

 fame form ; which is another circumftance that 

 afcertains, that they are led by obfervation. 



In the trees before Mr. Levet's houfe in Lichfield, 

 there are annually nefts built by fparrows, a bird 

 which ufually builds under the tiles of houfes, or 

 the thatch of barns. Not finding fuch convenient 

 fituations for iheir nefts, they build a covered neft 

 bigger than a man's head, with an opening like a 

 mouth at the fide, refembling that of a magpie, 

 except that it is built with ftraw and iay, and lined 

 with feathers, and fo nicely managed as to be a de- 

 fence againft both wind and rain. 



The 



