BIRDS. 



Building the nests Care of the young. 



And yet, how neatly finish'd ! What nice hand, 

 With ev'ry implement and means of art, 

 And twenty years apprenticeship to boot, 

 Could make me such another ? Fondly then 

 We boast of excellence, whose noblest skill 

 Instinctive genius foils. 



Both the male and female bird assist in this 

 interesting concern ; each bringing materials to 

 the place: first sticks, moss, or straws,, for the 

 foundation and exterior ; then hair, wool, or the 

 down of animals or plants, to form a soft and 

 commodious bed for their eggs, and the bodies 

 of their tender young when hatched. It is also 

 worthy of remark, that the outsides of the nests 

 generally bear so great a resemblance in colour 

 to the surrounding foliage or branches, as not 

 easily to be discovered even by persons who are 

 in search of them. 



The production of the young may, in fact, be 

 considered as the great era of a bird's happiness ; 

 nothing can at this time exceed its spirit and in- 

 dustry ; they are rendered sensible of the cares 

 that attend a family, and the important pursuits 

 of common subsistence occupies their whole at- 

 tention; the warblers are silent; it is no longer 

 a season for singing, or at least they indulge it less 

 frequently, and their attachment to their off- 

 spring operates to a degree that even changes 

 their natural disposition, and new duties intro- 

 duce new inclinations. The most timid become 

 courageous in defence of their young, and bird* 



