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It can hardly in this experiment be contended, that the Ikylark 

 miftook them for her own neftlings, becaufe they differed greatly, 

 not only in number and fize, but in their habits, for nightingales 

 and wrens perch, which a Ikylark is almoft incapable of, though, 

 by great affiduity, fhe at laft taught herfelf the proper equilibre of 

 the body. If ducks are turned over to a hen turkey fhe will gene- 

 rally take as much care of them as of her own brood, and I have 

 been moft credibly informed, that a rabbit hath been rear'd by a 

 cat. Lucretius is therefore miftaken when he afligris the follow- 

 ing reafon for each fpecies of birds not varying from the proto- 

 type) 



Nec ratione alia" proles cognofcere matrem, 

 Nec mater poflet prolem. 



I have likewife been witnefs of the following experiment : two 

 robins hatched five young ones in a breeding cage, to which five 

 others were added ; and the old birds brought up the whole num- 

 ber, making no diflinclion between them. 



The Aedologie alfo mentions (which is a very fenfible treatife 

 on the nightingale k ) that neftlings of all forts may be reared in 

 the fame manner, by introducing them to a caged bird, which is 

 lupplied with the proper food. In the fame manner the duck- 

 lings hatch'd by artificial heat in China, are immediately put under 

 old ones, who nurture them 



Not only grown birds, however, attend to this cry ofdiftrefs from 

 neftlings, but young ones alfo which are able to fhift for them- 

 felves. 



I have feen a chicken, not above two months old, take as much 

 care of younger chickens as the parent would have fhewn to them 

 which they had loft, not only by fcratching to procure them food, 



k Paris, 1 771. 



1 Mandeflo's Travels, p. 225. 



K k but 



