30 
or at least only guarded by five or six in- 
dividuals, like old soldiers in a garrison, 
now begins to be once more frequented, 
and in a short time all the bustle and 
hurry of business is fairly commenced. 
In these societies they appear to establish 
a kind of legal constitution, by which all 
intruders are excluded from coming to live 
among them, and none are permitted to 
build but acknowledged natives. Many 
internal dissensions and civil broils also 
occur. Some unhappy couples are not 
even permitted to finish any nest, till the 
rest have completed their buildings; for 
as soon as they get a few slicks together, 
a party of thieves and plunderers come 
and demolish the whole. It is therefore 
adopted as a measure of precaution, that 
one of the pair is generally stationed to 
keep guard, while the other goes abroad 
for materials. From the instant, however, 
that the female begins to lay her eggs, all 
hostilities are at an end; and those that a 
little time before treated her so rudely, 
now no longer venture to molest her. It 
ought to be observed that the old birds are 
