774 
ORNITHOLOGY. 
tedious and painful. Neither the nature nor extent of 
tiie inftinCt of brutes is fully underftood; this principle, 
however, during the incubation of birds, feems in fome 
refpeCts to approach, if not to.furpafs, the powers of rea- 
fon. Nothing can exceed the patience of birds when 
hatching; during a period which continues from three 
to eight weeks, neither the approach of danger, nor the 
calls of hunger, can drive them from the neft. Before 
incubation is completed, the female, however plump at 
the beginning, is generally emaciated to a fkeleton. 
Among I'ome tribes, the male and female lit alternately, 
the more equally to divide the tedious labour ; among 
others, the male provides food for his mate while hatch¬ 
ing, or alleviates her toils by his melody from a neigh¬ 
bouring bulb; fome join together in the arduous opera¬ 
tion, and, by increafing the heat, endeavour to accelerate 
its progrefs. At times, however, the eggs acquire an 
heat that feems hurtful to infant life; on thefe occafions 
they are left to cool; and the hen, after a longer or (horter 
(pace, according to the weather, again refumes her oc¬ 
cupation. 
With what painful perfeverance birds fit on their eggs 
may be inferred from the circumftance, that, as the work¬ 
men of Mr. A. Marks, of Lilkeard, were cutting acrofs 
an alh-tree, (Mar. 24, 1819.) they difcovered a bird’s neft 
in the interior of the tree, containing three eggs: the neft 
was entirely furrounded with found timber, about .eight 
inches thick, without the leaft appearance of an opening 
to the outfide. About thirty years fince, a fipailar difco- 
very was made in Plymouth dock-yard; a bird, called a 
heckmal, being found fitting on its eggs, in the centre of 
a large oak-tree, which, by its immenfe growth, mull 
have been enclofed eighty or ninety years. The eggs, on 
being touched, fell into dull; the Ikeleton of the bird 
and its neft have been prelerved for the infpeClion of the 
curious. 
Mr. Addifon, when fpeaking of the inftinCl of birds, 
terms it an immediate direction of Providence, fuch an 
operation of the Supreme Being as that which determines 
all portions of matter to their proper centre of attraction. 
It is certain, that they feem almoil entirely paflive under 
its influence. In obedience to its call, they fly from one 
appetite to another; and, whatever ingenuity they may 
feem to pofl'efs while aCting under it, in every thing be¬ 
yond its reach they di(play the utmoft dullnefs or the 
greateft ftupidity. “ With how much feeming caution 
does an hen provide herfelf a neft in places unfrequented, 
and free from difturbance ! When (lie has laid her eggs, 
fo that fhe can cover them, what care does (he take in 
turning them regularly, that every part may partake of 
the vital heat ! When Ihe leaves them to provide necef- 
fary fullenance, how punctually does (he return before 
they have time to cool, and become incapable of pro¬ 
ducing an animal ! When the birth approaches, with 
bow much nicety and attention does fhe help the chick 
to break the prifon : fhe covers it from the injuries of the 
weather, provides it with proper nourilhment, and teaches 
it to help itfelf !” In all thefe particulars, her inftinCt 
guides her with the caution and exaCtnefs of human rea- 
lon in its nicell and moll delicate operations. Yet, with 
all thefe appearances of fagacity, the hen, in other re¬ 
fpeCts, difcovers no glimmerings of thought, nor any 
fliadow of ingenuity. She will pleafe herfelf with a Hone, 
ora piece of chalk, inllead of an egg, and will try to 
hatch it in the fame manner: fhe knows not the number 
ihe has laid ; and allows them to be increafed or dimi- 
nilhed at plealure: (lie cannot diftinguifh her own eggs 
from thofe of another; and (lie will rear a brood of ducks 
as carefully as chickens: when (lie beholds this fuppoliti- 
tious offspring launch into the pool, fhe Hands at the edge 
of the water, trembling between two contrary impulfes 
of inftinCt; but obeys the more powerful call of nature, 
that of felf-prefervation. 
When the young are produced, the next objeCt of pa¬ 
rental care is their protection and fupport; and the fpirit 
and indultry they difplay at this period, demonllrate how 
amply nature has qualified them for both. The mod timid 
and inadtive become fpirited and courageous in defence 
of their progeny : the rapacious kinds acquire more than 
ufual ferocity: they carry their prey, yet throbbing with 
life, to the neft, and early accultom their young to habits 
of cruelty and (laughter. Thofe of milder natures, 
equally occupied by the neceflary concern of fupporting 
their families, difcontitnie their finging at this feafon; 
every inferior amufement, at the commencement of this 
great era of their happinefs, is laid afide, when, proud of 
becoming parents, and rearing a progeny of their own, 
they feem tranfported with pleafure. 
Of thofe birds who build on the ground, the greater 
part of the young are able to run as foon as they are ex¬ 
cluded from the (hell; all that is neceflary for them, is 
lhowing their food, and teaching the manner of colleCling 
it. Thofe however who are hatched upon trees, remain 
in the neft lo long as they continue in an unfledged (late. 
During this period, both parents are commonly employed 
in providing them a regular fupply; with which they are 
all fed in their turns, one after another, that none may 
take away the nourilhment from the reft. It is not till 
after their plumage is fully growm, and they are capable 
of avoiding danger by flight, that the young are led from 
the neft, and taught to provide for themfelves. At firft 
they make only (hort excurfions, while the weather is fine, 
around the neft, or thofe places in its vicinity where food 
abounds. After they have been for fome days taught to 
difcover their food, and carry it away, and have at length 
become completely qualified to provide for themfelves, 
the old ones lead them no longer back to the neft; but, 
conducting them to fome field where their food is plenty, 
they forfake them for the lad time; and their former in¬ 
timate connection, being no longer neceflary, is for ever 
broken off. 
After the young of birds have come to that degree of 
maturity which renders them independent of parental af- 
fiftance, the different tribes vary remarkably in their ap¬ 
petite for fociety ; fome kinds are folitary, and others 
gregarious. Many birds who live in pairs only during 
the breeding-feafon, affemble together in large flocks as 
foon as that period is pad. This is remarkably the cafe 
with (wans, geefe, and ducks : the whole order of pafjeres 
alfo commonly colleCt into flocks during winter; and in 
thefe flocks birds of different fpecies are often united; 
they all however regularly difperfe on the approach of 
fpring, the pairing-feafon. O11 the other hand, the he¬ 
rons, gannets, and fome other, tribes, live in a gregarious 
(late during the breeding-months, and afterwards fpread 
over the country in a (late of folitude and difperfion. 
Some are obferved to breed and live the whole year in 
fociety, fuch as the pigeons, rooks, and darlings; while 
the rapacious live in continual folitude : the eagle, jea¬ 
lous of the rivalftiip of his own offspring, unmercifully 
expels them from that diftriCl which he has chofen for his 
relidence, and feems equally deaf to the calls of pity or 
affeCtion. 
Song of Birds .—The chirp is the firft found which a 
young bird utters, as a cry for food. Now this is different 
in all neftlings ; and, if accurately attended to, the hearer 
may diltinguilh of what fpecies the bird is, though the 
neft may hang out of his fight and reach. This cry is 
very weak and querulous ; it is dropped entirely as the 
bird grows ftronger, nor is afterwards intermixed with its 
fong: the chirp of a nightingale, for example, being 
hoarfe and difagreeable. 
The call of a bird, is that found which it is able to 
make when about a month old; it is, in moll inftances, 
a repetition of one and the fame note ; is retained by the 
bird as long as it lives; and is common, generally, to both 
the cock and hen. 
The next ftage in the notes of a bird is termed by the 
bird-catchers recording, which word is probably derived 
from a mufical inftrument formerly ufed in England 
called a recorder. This attempt in the neltling to ling, 
nmy be com oared to the imperfeCt endeavour in a child to 
babble. 
