L 3SO ] 
peared to me of confiderable imj^x^rtance ; and if I have 
fucceeded in this point, I hope you will have no cbje<5lion 
to the manner of afcertaining it, I would wiili to avoid 
a weak credulity on one hand, and oblfinate fcepticifm 
on the other. Again, Mr. achard, of Privy Garden, may 
be now living, to teftify the truth of the account of the 
torpid martins, which he faw taken out of the banks of 
the Rhine, and which, in his letter to p. collinson, 
efquire, read before the Royal Society, he fo particularly 
deferibes. Now to prove the torpidity of birds, we have 
the prefumptive evidence of Mr. trist, dever, didham, 
and myfelf; and the politive evidence of Mr. achard, 
Dr. PYE, Mr. stevens, and Mr. wiat; all men of cha- 
ra6Ler, and incapable of alTerting an untimth. The 
opinion of aristotle, that fome of the fame fpecies of 
birds do emigr?,te; and that others do pluck off their fea- 
:thers, and reniain torpid during the winter, cannot obtain 
credit: for, we cannot fuppofe that thefe animals are go- 
verned byt different inftindts, m what immediately con- 
cerns their exilfence ; but by the fame univerfal law of 
nature,' independent of their wills or inclination. But 
:then the law of nature muft be permitted to have its free 
.courfe. ReRraint deftroys the rule of adlions; and there- 
fore, though M. buff on and others fucceeded not in their 
. attempts to bring on torpidity in fwallows confined in cold 
cellars, yefl have pleafed myfelf with the idea of con- 
fining young fwallows, martins, 8cc. with the old ones ; 
which may be eafily taken at their nefts when feeding, 
in a large walled garden, covered with a net or lattice, 
, in 
