ORNITHOLOGY. 
non need by the frequency, loudnefs, and variety, of their 
notes; hence M. Buffon concludes, that there is in thefe 
animals a ftrongconnexion between the organs of gene¬ 
ration and thole of the voice ; and that the delightful har¬ 
mony of the grove, fo much admired by man, is the na¬ 
tural expreflion of their loves. The language of the 
male, in this feafon of enjoyment, is moft loud and co¬ 
pious; to his call of allurement the female expreiles her 
alfent in more feeble and interrupted notes. In quadru¬ 
peds the fexual appetite is ftrong, but the defires ariling 
from it are as fleeting as they are impetuous; while that 
paflion in birds is diftinguiflied by tendernefs, attachment, 
and epuftancy. Except the gallinaceous and a few other 
tribes, birds are all monogamous; and, for the feafon at 
leaft, the compaft is obierved with unbroken fidelity. 
Among quadrupeds, there are but few inftances of con¬ 
jugal fidelity, and ftill fewer of parental concern in the 
males for their progeny; whereas, among birds, exam¬ 
ples of the contrary are rare. Nothing can exceed the 
affeftion and afliduity of the monogamous birds, but 
their mutual tendernefs and foiicitude for the fruits of 
their love. The female no fooner begins the conftruc- 
tion of her neft, than (he is affifted by her mate; their 
mutual labour produces a mutual attachment, which is 
ftrengthened and confirmed by fucceeding toils and mul¬ 
tiplied cares. This conjugal fidelity, fo remarkable among 
birds, feems to a rife from the neceflity of both male and 
female co-operating in building their neft, and providing 
for their young. It is only found to prevail in the woods 
and fields, where nature is allowed to remain in unadul¬ 
terated fimplicity : wherever man interferes, he influences 
and changes the ftrongeft propenfities of their nature. 
The poultry in our yards, who are exempted from the 
labour of building a neft, and of providing for their fe.cii - 
rity and fuftenance, either indulge in promifeuous venery, 
or are diftinguiflied by the flightnefs of their attachments, 
and the inconftancy of their love. The females among 
them have the whole charge of rearing and protefting the 
young; an office for which they are well qualified by the 
tender foiicitude which they difplay, and that courage, 
bordering on fury, by which they are at that feafon ani¬ 
mated. 
In general, birds poflefs a much greater degree of fer¬ 
tility than quadrupeds. Weak and defence'lefs as they 
are, and furrounded by a thoufand enemies, they are liable 
to fo many accidents, that, without this wife provifion Cjf 
nature, the whole race mull; have inevitably been extin- 
guifned. Thofe birds alfo which are moft ufeful, orealily 
deftroyed, are always moft diftinguiflied by their fertility. 
The power of generation is greatly increafed, and the 
period of fecundity prolonged, among the poultry kind, 
by domeftication. Want, cold, labour, and inquietude, 
diminifti in all animals both the effedts and the power of 
procreation ; they are conftantly more productive in pro¬ 
portion as they are well fed, and regularly fuppiied with 
accommodation. Thofe who are left in freedom, who 
are continually expofed to fcarcity of food, fear, and all 
the inconveniences of an independent ftate, appear not 
to exert to the full extent their power of generation ; 
they feem to hufband its effeCts, and accommodate them 
to the exigences of their condition. 
After fecundation, the female begins to lay; but it is 
only fuch eggs as have been impregnated by the male that 
are prolific; thofe that have been produced without pre¬ 
vious connection with him, are always addled by incuba¬ 
tion : this is (aid to be almoft uniformly the cafe with one 
of the two eggs laid by the female eagle. The ovation 
of birds has been confidered as an important part of 
their hiftory. Klein has publifhed a work on this lubjeft, 
in which he has delineated the eggs of a hundred and 
forty different fpecies, coloured fo exactly from nature, 
that they can hardly be diftinguiflied. Sir Afliton Lever 
made the greateft collection of the eggs of birds that had 
been hitherto known. 
The nefts of birds are conftruCied with fo much art, as 
Vol. XVII. No. 1215. 
773 
to baffle the utmoft exertion of human jngfenuity to imi¬ 
tate them. The mode of building, the materials they 
make ufe of, as well as the fituations they feleCt, are as 
various,as the different kinds of birds, and are all admi¬ 
rably adapted to their fevefal wants and neeeflities. Birds 
of the fame fpecies colIeCt the fame materials, arrange 
them in the fame manner, and make choice of fimilar 
fituations for fixing the places of their temporary abodes. 
Wherever they difpofe themfelves, they always take care 
to be accommodated with a fhelter; and, if a natural one 
does not offer itfelf, they very ingenioufly make a cover¬ 
ing of a double row of leaves, down the dope of which the 
rain trickles, without entering into-the little opening of 
the neft that lies concealed. In forming the neft, they 
make ufe of dry wood, bark, thorns, reeds, thick hay, 
and compact mofs, as a foundation ; and on this, as afirll 
layer, they fpread and fold in a round form all the moft: 
delicate materials, as down, wool, filk, fpiders’ webs, 
feathers, and other light fubftances, adapted for the pur- 
pofes for which they are intended, and to the climate in 
which the nefts are fituated. Thus, the oftrich in Senegal, 
where the heat is exceflive, negleCts her eggs during the 
day, but fits on them in the night. At the Cape of Good 
Hope, where the heat islefs, the oftrich, like other birds, 
fits upon her eggs both day and night. In general, we 
may obferve, that the architecture of the neft: of each 
fpecies feems to be adapted to the number of eggs, the 
temperature of the climate, or the refpeCtive dimenfions 
of the little animal’s body. Small birds, whofe eggs are 
generally numerous, make their nefts warm, that the ani¬ 
mal heat may be equally diffufed; but the larger fpecies 
are lefs folicitous in this refpeCt. Hence the wren, and 
many of the fmaller birds, conftruCt their little edifices 
with great care, and with very warm materials; whereas 
the plover and the eagle, whofe eggs are fo few that the 
body may eafily be applied to them, build with no foiici¬ 
tude ; fom,e, in thefe circumftances, leave them upon the 
naked rocks. The climate has alio its influence on the 
nefting of birds: many of thofe water-fowl, who, with 
us, conftruCt their nefts in fo carelefs a manner, difeover 
greater foiicitude in the colder climes of the north, where 
they ftrip the down oft' their breads to line their nefts and 
proteCf their progeny. 
The fituation of the nefts of birds feems to depend 
greatly upon their habits of life, the vicinity of food, and 
their fecurity from the invafion of their enemies. Some 
build upon the ground, as the gallinaceous tribes and 
water-fowl; others build under the ground, as the fwal- 
low and puffin ; which laft becomes the tenant of a rab¬ 
bit’s hole. By far the greater number build in bufhes, or 
on rocks: one-fpecies only, that of the water-hen, per¬ 
forms incubation on the furface of the waves, her neft 
being attached to a few reeds. The larger rapacious 
birds, who live in perpetual hoftility with all nature 
around them, repair, at the breeding-feafon, to the inac- 
ceflible rocks and precipices, where they have leaft to fear 
from man, and thofe numerous tribes of animals with 
whom they conftantly live in hoftility. In the thick and 
luxurious woods of the warmer climates, where birds have 
little to fear but from the l'erpent or monkey tribes, fome 
build their nefts pendulous from the extremity of the 
branch of a tree : there, where man is feldom an aggref- 
for, they take no pains to conceal them from the eye; 
their conftruClion is beautiful, and the entrance curi- 
oufly contrived in various ways, to fecure them againft 
the invafion of their enemies. See particular inftances 
on the Motacilla Plate III. VI. Muscicapa Plate II. 
vol. xvi. and Oriolus Plate I. in the preient volume. 
But all thofe who live upon fruits and corn, and are too 
often unwelcome intruders upon the fruits of human in- 
duftry, are chiefly folicitous, in conftruCting their nefts, 
to conceal them from the eye of man. 
The nefting and ovation of the feathered race are no 
fooner completed, than they enter upon another procefs 
equally neceftary to perpetuate their kind, but ftill mote 
9 L tedious 
