ON ZOOLOGY. 133 



ing and laying by their provisions, as well as in 

 forming their habitations; to birds, in their sexual 

 attachments, in the construction of their nests, 

 and in the time devoted to incubation or sitting 

 on their eggs ; and to animals in general, in the 

 affection they shew for their offspring until they 

 can provide for themselves, when they drive them 

 away, and afterwards lose sight of them altoge- 

 ther. Even in the human species, in whom the 

 attributes of reason are in general so predominant, 

 an instinctive principle may be attributed in those 

 instances, when the most anxious feelings of the 

 mother are called forth for the new born infant, 

 even before she has seen it; and which, without 

 any former associations, or those circumstances 

 that on other occasions awaken the affections, 

 often supersede every consideration for her own 

 sufferings or personal safety, to secure to her off- 

 spring, at all risks, the due care, protection, and 

 requisite comforts. The same instinctive feeling, 

 though no doubt increased by reflection, associ- 

 ation, and those finer sentiments which emanate 

 alone from the mind, and therefore may be con- 

 sidered of a mixed quality, may be observed 

 to predominate more or less for many years 

 after the birth of the child, and often far beyond 

 the period in which her offspring might be con- 

 sidered competent to act for itself; and therefore, 

 in this instance, instinct exceeds the boundary 

 which nature has laid down for the brute species, 



