TAXIDERMY. 109 



wards nailing the ends of the sticks at the bottom. 

 As madrepores are very solid, we fill up the re- 

 mainder of the case with dried moss. 



Sponges require no other care for their preserv- 

 ation than soaking them in fresh water, and drying 

 them perfectly before we pack them. They form 

 the last genus of the animal kingdom. 



OF THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BIRDS. 



BEFORE we conclude, we ought to say a few words 

 on eggs and nests ; objects as interesting to zoolo- 

 gists as the birds themselves. In the construction 

 of their nests we must particularly admire the in- 

 dustry and care of birds for the propagation of 

 their species. This part of Natural History, which 

 offers a crowd of interesting facts, has not hitherto 

 been properly studied, except by the Abbe Ma- 

 nesse : and I cannot help repeating here the wish 

 of all naturalists, that the manuscript to which he 

 has committed so many observations and curious 

 facts, on the manners of birds, may be given to the 

 public. Since Buffon, no authors have treated on 

 this subject, unless it be Wilson, (in his beautiful 

 work on the birds of North America,) and Vieillot ; 

 whilst in all other respects, Natural History has 

 made immense progress since the work of Lin- 

 naeus. The Regne Animal of M. Cuvier, in four 



