ON INSTINCT. 
349 
or 'rather sublime and generous self-devotion in protecting them. 
The swallow has been known to precipitate herself into an 
edifice of flames to rescue her devoted young ones ; the hen does 
not hesitate to brave death in defence of her chickens; and the 
timid lark presents herself to the fowler to lure him from her nest 
—in fine, all these touching evidences of aflection for the helpless, 
in animals so lig-ht and volatile in their nature, clearly indicate 
the sacred impulse communicated to all that breathe by the 
mighty Being who has willed the perpetuity and support of 
every species. Here, indeed, we recognize the workmanship of 
the Deity, in all its admirable wisdom, and surpassing benevo¬ 
lence ;—digitus Dei est hie I 
Among the many remarkable instinctive habits of birds, the 
migratory propensities of some of them are worthy of notice. 
There are various kinds that, during the summer months, visit 
our northern climate, and feed on insects whose multiplication 
would otherwise be boundless. Having fulfilled their office here, 
and on the declination of the sun, they again retire to the south; 
and are succeeded by dift’erent birds from countries still farther 
north, such as the woodcock and others, which escape to our 
shores from the rigorous cold of a polar winter*. 
♦ In Fehrmrif months the knot, goosander, Brent goose. Barnacle goose, 
\vild_goose, golden plover and curlew, begin to retire from the sea-coast, or 
other winter haunts, to their several breeding places in more inland situa¬ 
tions. 
In March, the widgeon, hooded crow, redwing, gannet, teal, merlin, po¬ 
chard, woodcock, snipe, and jack snipe, take their departure from their 
winter (juarters, and migrate to their several breeding places ; whilst the chiff- 
chaff, wheat-ear, and stone-curlew, are amongst the few arrivals of migratory 
birds. 
In April, the silvery-gull, cross-bill, green sandpiper, fieldfare, and Aber¬ 
devine, retire from our shores to more northern latitudes to breed ; whilst 
the black-cap, white-throat, hay-bird, swallows, vvry-neck, whinchat, ring 
blackbird, quail, turtle-dove, and the ruff, arrive from southern latitudes, 
and announce themselves by their ()eculiar call-notes, or song, continued 
until they begin to moult. 
In Map, the cuckoo, nightingale, redstart, wood-wren, sedge-bird, fau- 
vette, swift, night-jar, and flusher, arrive from southern latitudes, likewise 
many other species, the females usually appearing a week or more later than 
the males. 
In August, the Aberdevine, mountain-finch, cross-beak, turnstone, knot, 
sanderling, and many others, arrive from the north on their winter visit; 
whilst the cuckoo, swift, wry-neck, tit-lark, turtle-dove, lapwing, laughing- 
gull, puffin, and dottrel, retire to more southern latitudes to take up their 
winter quarters along with their young families. 
In September, the black-cap, wood-wren, fauvette, nightingale, white- 
throat, grasshopper-lark, sedge-bird, chiff-chaff, hay-bird, chimney-swallow, 
flusher, night-jar, ring-blackbird, green jilovcr, wheat-ear, and ruff, take 
their departure for the south, some in flocks, and others separately ; some in 
VOL. XI. B A 
