BIRDS. In 



in general difTorent from that which is cultivated by human la- 

 bour. Some birds which have only the serpent to fear, build 

 their nests depending from the end of a smdl bough, and 

 form the entrance from below ; being thus secured either from 

 the serpent or the monkey tribes. But all the little birds 

 which live upon fruits and corn, and that are too often unwel- 

 come intruders upon the fruits of human industry, in making their 

 nests, use every j)rccaiition to conceal them from man. On the 

 other hand, the great birds remote from human society, use eveiy 

 precaution to render theirs inaccessible to wild beasts or vermin. 



Nothing can exceed the patience of birds while hatching ; 

 neither the calls of hunger, nor the near approach of danger, 

 ran drive them from the nest. They are often fat upon begin- 

 ning to sit, yet before incubation is over, the female is usually 

 wasted to skin and bone. Ravens and crows, while the females 

 are sitting, take care to provide them with food ; and this in 

 great abundance. But it is different with most of the smaller 

 kinds : during the whole time, the male sits near his mate upon 

 some tree, and soothes her by his singing ; and often when she 

 IS tired takes her place, and patiently continues upon the nest 

 till she returns. Sometimes, however, the eggs acquire a de- 

 gree of heat too much for the purposes of hatching ; in such 

 cases, the hen leaves them to cool a little, and then returns to 

 sit with her usual perseverance and pleasure. 



So great is the power of instinct, in animals of this class, that 

 they seem driven from one appetite to another, and continue 

 almost passive under its influence. Reason we cannot call it, 

 since the first dictates of that principle would be self-preserva- 

 tion : — " Take a brute," says Addison, " out of his instinct, and 

 you find him wholly deprived of understanding. With what 

 caution," continues he, " does the hen provide herself with a nest 

 in places unfrequented, and free from noise and disturbance ! 

 When she has laid her eggs in such a manner that she can cover 

 them, what care does she take in turning them frequently, that 

 all parts may partake of the vital warmth ! When she leaves 

 them, to provide for her necessaiy sustenance, how punctually 

 does she return before they have time to cool, and become in- 

 capable of producing an animal ! In the summer you see her 

 giving herself greater freedoms, and quitting her care for above 

 two hours together : but in winter when the rigour of the 



