lefs manner; and fome can fcarce be faid to form 
any regular neft, but content themfelves with a con¬ 
venient cavity in a tree, and depofit their eggs on 
the foft furface of the decayed wood. Others lay 
their eggs on the ground, amongft grafs, or even 
amonf^ft ftones. Birds of the Swallow tribe pradlife 
a fpecies of mafonry, and attach their nefts, formed 
of foft mud, to the lides of walls and chimnies; and 
a fmall fpecies of this genus, not uncommon in 
China and the Indian iflands, colledls gelatinous 
materials from the furface of the neighbouring wa¬ 
ters, and conftrudls wdth them a nefl: of a very du¬ 
rable nature, and confiding entirely of hardened 
gluten. In the hotter regions of India and Ameri¬ 
ca, where a higher fpecies of inftinft Teems to pre¬ 
vail amongft birds, feveral fpecies form nefts which 
are fo difpofed as to hang from the branches of trees 
in the form of retorts or long-necked bottles, as the 
Orioli and fome others. In Europe alfo the Parus 
Pendulinus and a few other birds attach their tempo¬ 
rary habitations, at three or four places on the edge, 
to the adjoining reeds amongft which they build, 
and thus, with exquifite contrivance, form their 
“ pende7it bed and -proo'eant cradle.” Laftly, fome 
birds exert a ftill more curious fpecies of inftineftive 
ingenuity, and adlually few together, with vegetable 
fibres, the edges of one or moie leaves, in order to 
form a convenient and unfufpeefted receptacle for 
their young. Of this very Angular mode of nidifi- 
cation, the little bird, whofe neft, wdth the young 
included, is reprefented on the annexed plate, af¬ 
fords perhaps the moft eminent example; and few 
with 
