OF NATURAL HISTORY. 321 



refembles an egg ereded upon one end, and leaves a fmall hole in the 

 fide for a paflage. Both eggs and young, by this contrivance, are de- 

 fended from the injuries of the air, rain, cold, &c. That the young 

 may have a foft and warm bed, ftie lines the infide of the neft with 

 feathers, down, and cobwebs. The fides and roof are compofed of 

 mofs and wool interwoven in the mod curious and artificial manner. 



In treating of inftindt, it was mentioned, that, in warm climates, 

 many fmall birds fufpended their nefts on tender twigs of trees, to 

 prevent them from being deftroyed by the monkeys. In Europe, 

 there are only three birds which build penfile nefts, namely, the 

 common oriola, the parus pendulinus, or hang-neft titmoufe ; and 

 another penfile neft, belonging to iome unknown bird, was lately 

 difcovered by Mr Pennant, near the houfe of Blair in Athole, in the 

 north of Scotland. ' In a fpruce fir-tree,' Mr Pennant remarks,, 



* was a hang-neft of fome unknown bird, fufpended at the four cor- 



* ners to the boughs. It was open at top, an inch and a half dia- 



* meter, and two deep ; the fides and bottom thick ; the material- 



* mofs, worfted, and birch bark, lined with feathers *.' 



Mr Pennant, in his Indian Zoology, gives the following curious 

 account of the manner in which the motacilla futoria, or taylor 

 bird, builds its neft. ' Had providence,' Mr Pennant remarks, ' left 



* the feathered tribes unendowed with any particular inftinft, the 



* birds of the torrid zone would have built their nefts in the fame 



* unguarded manner as thofe of Europe ; but there the lefter fpecies, 



* having a certain preicience of the dangers that furround them, and 



* of their own weaknefs, fufpend their nefts at the extreme branches 



* of the trees: They are confcious of inhabiting a climate replete 



* with enemies to them and their young j with fnakes that twine up 



t Sf 'the 



* Pennant's Tour, vol. 1. pag. 104. 3d edit. 



