LII.] 
OF SELBORNE. 
139 
A pair of these little birds liad one year inadvertently placed 
their nest on a naked bough, perliaps in a shady time, not being 
aware of the inconvenience that followed. But a hot sunny sea- 
son coming on before the brood was half-fledged, the reflection 
of the wall became insupportable, and mast inevitably have de- 
stroyed the tender young, had not affection suggested an expe- 
dient, and prompted the parent birds to hover over the nest all 
the hotter liours, while with wings expanded, and mouths gaping 
for breath, they screened off the heat from their suffering off- 
spring. 
A farther instance I once saw of notable sagacity in a willow- 
wren, which had built in a bank in my fields. This bird, a 
friend and myself had observed as she sat in her nest ; but wxre 
particularly careful not to disturb her, though we saw she eyed 
us with some degree of jealousy. Some days after, as we passed 
that way, we were desirous of remarking how this brood went 
on ; but no nest could be found, till I happened to take up a 
large bundle of long green moss, as it were carelessly thrown 
over the nest, in order to dodge the eye of any impertinent 
intruder. 
A still more remarkable mixture of sagacity and instinct 
occurred to me one day as my people were pulling off the lining 
of a hotbed in order to add some fresh dung. From out of the 
side of this bed leaped an animal with great agility that made a 
most grotesque figure ; nor was it without great difficulty that 
it could be taken ; when it proved to be a large white-bellied 
field-mouse with three or four young clinging to her teats by 
their mouths and feet. It was amazing that the desultory and 
rapid motions of this dam should not oblige her litter to quit 
their hold, especially when it appeared that they were so young 
as to be both naked and blind ! 
SPOTTED flycatcher's EOG. 
