354 
BIRDS. 
the most delicate materials, which being closely in- 
terwoven prevent the access of winds and insects. 
Each species has a particular taste in the building 
and furniture of its apartment ; and when this is 
completed, they never fail either to hang the inside 
faith a tapestry of feathers, or quilt it with wool, in 
order to communicate a convenient warmth around 
them and their young. 
When their supplies fail them, there is scarce 
any invention to which they will not have recourse 
for a recruit. The author already mentioned, when 
he first bred some goldfinches, only furnished them 
with hay for the structure of their nest ; and the fe- 
male, for want of raw silk or cotton, found out an 
expedient that surprised him. She began to un- 
plume the breast of the male, without the least op- 
position from her mate, and afterwards hung all the 
apartment very artificially with the down. 
We cannot help admiring, in this particular in- 
stance, the wonderful instinctive qualities of these 
little creatures. They are inspired by their creator 
with an imitation of reason, limited indeed to a. 
single point, but admirable in that very limitation. 
The female is directed by it to construct a nest ; she 
feels assured that she shall lay eggs, and want a 
place to preserve them from falling, and to cherish 
them faith a genial heat. The same instinct ac- 
quaints her, that this dieat would not be concentra- 
ted round the eggs, were the nest too large, and 
that the rtest would be incapable of containing all 
the young, were she to give it less dimensions. % 
