OFNATURALHISTORY. 32^ 



* the bottom of the rocks, gather a certain clammy, glutinous mat- 



* ter, perchance the fperm of whales, or other fifhes, of which they 

 ' build their nefts, wherein they lay their eggs, and hatch their 



* young. Thefe nefts the Chinefe pluck from the rocks, and bring 



* them in great numbers into the Eaft Indies to fell ; which are 

 ' efteemed by gluttons great delicacies, who, diflblving them in 



* chicken or mutton broth, are very fond of them, preferring them 



* far before oyfters, mufhrooms, or other dainty and lickerifh mor- 



* fels which moft gratify the palate. — Thefe nefts are of a hemif- 



* pherical figure, of the bignefs of a goofe-egg, and of a fubftance 

 ' refembUng ifing-glafs *.' 



Moft of the cloven-footed water- fowls, or waders, lay their eggs 

 upon the ground. But the fpoon-bills and the common heron build 

 large nefts in trees, and employ twigs and other coarfe materials ; 

 and the ftorks build on churches, or on the tops of houfes. Many 

 of the web-footed fowls lay their eggs likewife on the ground, as 

 the terns, and fome of the gulls and merganfers. But ducks pull 

 the down from their own breafts to afford a warmer and more com- 

 fortable bed for their young. The auks, the guillemots, and the 

 puffins or coulternebs, lay their eggs on the naked Ihelves of high 

 rocks. The penguins, for the fame purpofe, dig large and deep 

 holes under ground. 



It is not unworthy of remark, that birds uniformly proportion 

 the dimenfions of their nefts to the number and fize of the young to 

 be produced. Every fpecies lays nearly a determined number of 

 eggs. But, if one be each day abftradted from the neft, the bird 

 continues to lay daily more till her number is completed. Dr Lifter, 

 by this practice, made a fwallow lay no lefs than nineteen eggs. 



The 



Willoughby's Ornithology, pag. 215. 



