THE LONG-TAILED TIT. 407 



wise to speculate. In matters of reasoning and inference, we 

 are free from the trammels of the body, but in matters of 

 mere animal sensation, we can know nothing beyond the 

 power of our own organs of sense, or of the artificial means 

 by which we can contrive to improve these. Science has yet 

 found out no contrivance by which the sense of smelling can 

 be improved. Indeed, as the sense of smell is in a great 

 measure a feeding sense, the probability is that our acuteness 

 in the use of it diminishes as the comforts of society improve. 

 At all events, we are far less acute than man in the savage 

 state ; and we say proverbially, " A hungry man smells meat 

 afar." No doubt the saying is allegorical; but when we 

 find an allegory made a proverb, we may in general depend 

 upon the literal foundation being a well-known fact. The 

 subject is an exceedingly curious one, because it involves 

 not only the flights of birds from place to place within the 

 same country, but also the means by which they are guided 

 upon their longer migrations. So far as the bird is driven 

 from the place which it leaves, we can and do understand ; 

 but how it is directed to the place to which it comes is 

 beyond our philosophy, because the data by means of which 

 alone we could work it out, are beyond the cognizance of our 

 senses. Where knowledge is attainable, it is our own fault 

 and misfortune if we remain ignorant ; but there are subjects 

 which appear to be under the taboo of nature, and to waste 

 our time and labour on these is among the worst species of 

 idleness. But let us return to the bird. 



It is not in the procuring of its own food alone that the 

 long-tailed tit has to labour diligently; its brood is very 

 numerous, and they are as assiduously fed, and far more 

 comfortably, nay, elegantly lodged, than those of any other 

 birds. 



The nest of this species has always attracted notice as the 

 model of neatness and warmth among nests, and we have 



