OF SELBORNE. 255 



or the sparrow-hawk. If you stand near 

 the nest of a bird that has young, she will 

 not be induced to betray them by an inad- 

 vertent fondness, but will wait about at a 

 distance with meat in her mouth for an 

 hour together,. 



Should I farther corroborate what I have 

 advanced above by some anecdotes which 

 I probably may have mentioned before in 

 conversation, yet you will, I trust, pardon 

 - the repetition for the sake of the illustra- 

 tion. 



The fly-catcher of the Zoology (the stopa- 

 roia of Rai/J builds every year in the vines 

 that grow on the walls of my house. A 

 pair of these little birds had one year inad 

 vertently placed their nest on a naked 

 bough, perhaps in a shady time, not being 

 aware of the inconvenience that followed. 

 But an hot sunny season coming on before 

 the brood was half fledged, the reflection 

 of the wall became insupportable, and must 

 inevitably have destroyed the tender young, 

 had not affection suggested an expedient, 

 and prompted the parent-birds to hover 



