ing to, and ftill continue to feed them for feveral 
days. 
In confinement, the charafler of this bird feems 
quite altered ; he becomes dull and ftupid, inca¬ 
pable of learning any thing; he is kept alive with 
great difficulty, and to no purpofe. 
A Stone Chat that had been taken {hewed 
great reflexion ; the cage in which it was con¬ 
fined was placed in a garden among!! (limbs, in 
broad day, and the. door opened ; it inftantly flew 
upon theoutfide of its little prifon, and there re¬ 
mained a minute before it attempted a fecond 
flight, difirufting as it were the appearance of li¬ 
berty. 
In their natural {late they fuffer you to approach 
near, flying only to a little diftance, not Teeming 
to fufpedt the fowler’s intention. 
I here is a bird in Provence which lives very 
much upon ants, for which the Stone Chat has 
been miftaken ; but the Ant-eater feems to be a fo- 
Iitary bird', frequenting only decayed houfes and 
ruins. In cold weather, he places himfelf on the 
tops ofehimnies for warmth ; he frequently lies at 
the opening of an ant hill, (lopping it with his bo¬ 
dy, fo that the ants who attempt to get out are en¬ 
gaged in his plumage ; he then flies away to a bare 
fpot, and {baking his feathers, the ants fall out upon 
the ground, and become his prey. It is mofl pro- 
G ?. bable 
