BATS.—ADOPTED RESIDENCES. 
317 
The chief abode of our Bats is toward the coast, 
because they principally reside during their daily 
and brumal quiescence in the caves and fissures of 
our limestone rocks, and these occur for the most 
part toward and on the shores. The two common 
sorts seem (perhaps because more plentiful) to re¬ 
sort as freely to old buildings, hollow trees, &c., as 
to cavities of rocks, but I believe there is no decided 
preference shown by these animals for natural 
cavities of the earth, hollow trees &c. being the 
appointed substitutes where and when caves cannot 
be obtained. It is the same precisely with the Barn 
Owl , to which hollow trees form a natural resort, 
and caves a natural succedaneum ; but both with 
Bats and the Barn Owl, old buildings, such as barns 
and sheds are to be considered in some respects as 
unnatural habitations, because the creation of ani¬ 
mals was anterior not only to the erection of such 
buildings, but to the adoption of this island as a 
residence by our race. It has however been most 
wisely directed that the instinctive faculties of 
brutes should not be so definite and so limited in 
their operation as to preclude all departure from 
their more peculiar habits and actions, and hence it 
lias been found that the construction and situation 
of the nests of birds have at times varied remark¬ 
ably from ordinary rule ; hence birds have been 
enabled to sustain themselves on novel food, when 
driven by stress of weather or other adverse circum¬ 
stances, to countries which they have never before 
seen; hence, when detained by weakness or the 
allurement of climate and supply of food, from 
making their accustomed migration, they can sup¬ 
port themselves against unaccustomed impressions; 
and hence amongst a great variety of other instances 
not only with birds, but with other kinds of crea¬ 
tures, we are enabled to domesticate them, and to 
cause by our interference extraordinary alterations 
