32 FACULTIES OF BIRDS. 



sleep as sight, smell, and taste, is much more easily 

 awakened, for a slight noise will often rouse a sleep- 

 walker, who had borne an intense light on his unshut 

 eyes, without seeming in the least to feel its in- 

 fluence *. 



The structure of the ear in birds would lead us to 

 conclude that they could not hear so quickly as other 

 animals. It may be interesting to illustrate this by 

 comparing the ear of birds with that of man. The 

 outer shell, as we may term it, of our own ear projects 

 a little forward, presenting five eminences and three 

 cavities, the whole spread out into a sort of funnel, 

 well adapted, from its windings, to collect the waves or 

 pulses of sound afloat in the air around f. The 

 substance also is carefully fitted for its office, being 

 very sensible, and composed of a firm though elastic 

 texture of gristle or cartilage, and not of unyielding 

 bone, nor of soft fleshy muscle, though there are 

 small muscles which stretch or relax it, as occasion 

 may require. The skin which covers it is thin and 

 dry, and is attached to the gristle below by a strong 

 tissue that contains but a very small quantity of fat. 

 Here is seen a great number of pellicles, which 

 prepare and furnish the shining matter that gives to 

 the skin its polish, and perhaps part of its flexibility. 

 As many nerves and blood-vessels run through this 

 part of the ear, it is thence rendered very sensible, 

 and easily becomes red. 



The lap of the ear, possessed by no animal but man, 

 is very different from the part which we have just 

 described, being soft and flabby, and full of fat ; but 

 this is perhaps intended to prevent the escape of the 

 sound collected in the upper windings of the shell, 

 when it has reached the entrance of the passage. 

 We make this supposition on the principle that soft 



* Rapports du Phys. et Morale. 

 f Himly, Biblioth. fur Ophthalmalogie, i. 6. 



