1 1 8 rhe\N ui>oM of GOD Part L 



than feven or eight Young in the Neft together, 

 which at the Return of their Dams, do all at once 

 with equal Greedinels, hold up their Heads and 

 gape) not omit or forget one of them, but feed 

 them all ; which, unlefs they did carefully ob- 

 ferve and retain in Memory which they had fed, 

 which not, were impoffible to be done : This, I 

 fay, feems to me moft ft range and admirable,, 

 and beyond the Poffibiliry of a mere Machine to 

 perform. 



Another Experiment I fhall add, to prove, 

 that tho' Birds have not an exadl Power of num- 

 bring, yet have they of diftinguifliing many from 

 few, and knowing when they come near to a 

 certain Number : And that is, that when they 

 have laid fuch a Number- of £g-^j, as they can 

 conveniently cover and hatch, they give over 

 and begin to lit ; not becaufe they are neceffarily 

 determined to fuch a Number ; for that they are 

 not, as is clear, becaufe they are in Ability to go 

 on and lay more at their Pleafure., Hens, for 

 Example, if you let their Eggs alone, when 

 they have laid fourteen or fifteen, will give over 

 and begin to fit j whereas, if you daily with- 

 draw their Eggs^ they will go on to lay five Times 

 that Number : [Yetfome of them are fo cunning, 

 that if you leave them but one Egg^ they will 

 not lay to it, but forfake their Neft,] This holds 

 not only in domeftick and manfuete Birds, for 

 then it might bethought the Effed of Cicuration 

 or Inftitution, but alfo in the wild ; for my ho- 

 nour'd Friend Dr. Martin Lijier inform'd me, 



that 



