146 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 



house. A pair of these little birds had one year inad- 

 vertently placed their nest on a naked bough, perhaps in a 

 shady time, not being aware of the inconvenience that 

 followed. But a hot sunny season coming on before the 

 brood was half fledged, the reflection of the wall became 

 insupportable, and must inevitably have destroyed the 

 tender young, had nob affection suggested an expedient, 

 and prompted the parent birds to hover over the nest all 

 the hotter hours, while with wings expanded, and mouths 

 gaping for breath, they screened off the heat from then- 

 suffering offspring. 



A farther instance I once saw of notable sagacity in a 

 willow-wren, which had built in a bank in my fields. This 

 bird a friend and myself had observed as she sat in her 

 nest ; but were particularly careful not to disturb her, 

 though we saw she eyed us with some degree of jealousy. 

 Some days after as we passed that way we were desirous of 

 remarking how this brood went on ; but no nest could be 

 found, till I happened to take a large bundle of long green 

 moss, as it were, carelessly thrown over the nest in order to 

 dodge the eye of any impertinent intruder. 



A still more remarkable mixture of sagacity and instinct 

 occurred to me one day as my people were pulling off the 

 lining of a hotbed, in order to add some fresh dung. From 

 out of the side of this bed leaped an animal with great 

 agility that made a most grotesque figure ; nor was it 

 without great difficulty that it could be taken ; when it 

 proved to be a large white-bellied field-mouse with three or 

 four young clinging to her teats by their mouths and feet. 

 It was amazing that the desultory and rapid motions of this 

 dam should not oblige her litter to quit their hold, especially 

 when it appeared that they were so young as to be both 

 naked and blind ! 



