In the conduit of this little animal* there is fomething that
approaches to what philofophers have been pleafed to deny to
the brute part of the creation. Having obferved a neft of honey,
it immediately flies in fearch of fome human creature, to whom,
by its fluttering, and whiffling, and chirping, it communicates
the difcovery. Every one here is too well acquainted with the
bird to have any doubts as to the certainty of the information,
It leads the way directly towards the place, flying from bufh to
bufh, or from one ant-hill to another. When clofe to the neft,
it remains ftill and filent. As foon as the perfon, to whom the
difcovery was made, ihall have taken away the honey, the Indicator
flies to feaft on the remains. By the like conduct it is
alfo faid to indicate, with equal certainty, the dens of lions,
tygers, hyaenas, and other beafts of prey and noxious animals.
In the difcovery o f a bee’s neft, felf-intereft is concerned; but
in the latter inftance, its motives muft proceed from a different
principle. That involuntary and fpontaneous agent, which is
fuppofed to guide and dire£t the brute creation, and which
man, unable to inveftigate the nice fhades of caufe and effe£t
that no doubt govern all their aftions, has refolved into one
general moving power called Inftinct, is perhaps lefs a blind
impulfe of nature than a ray o f reafon. The chain o f rational
faculties from man, the topmoft link, to the meaneft reptile,
may, perhaps, with equal propriety, be fuppofed to exift, as that
which more apparently is obferved to connect their exterior
forms. I f it be inftin£t that in Europe caufes the fhynefs of
birds at the approach o f man, the fame inftinit inftrudts them
to be fo bold in India and China, where they are not molefted,
as
as almoft to be taken by the hand. The different propenfities
o f animals, proceeding from the different organs with which
nature has furnifhed them, are no doubt modified and altered
according to fituation and circumftances. Moll of the fmall
birds of Southern Africa conftrudt their nefts in fuch a manner,
that they can be entered only by one fmall orifice, and many
fufpend them from the flender extremities of high branches. A
fpecies ofloxia, or grofsbeak, always hangs its neft on a branch
extending over a river or pool o f water. It is ihaped exadlly
like a Ghemift’s retort; is fufpended from the head, and the
fhank of eight or nine inches long, at the bottom o f which is
the aperture, almoft touches the water. It is made of green
grafs, firmly put together, and curioufly woven. Another fmall
bird, the Parus Capenfis, or Cape Titmoufe, conftnnfts its
luxurious neft of the pappus or down of a fpecies o f afclepias.
This neft is made' of the texture of flannel, and the fleecy
hofiery is not more foft. Near the upper end projefts a fmall
tube about an inch in length, with an orifice about three-fourths
o f an inch in diameter. Immediately under the tube, is a fmall
hole in the fide, that has no communication with the interior
part of the neft; in this hole the male fits at nights, and thus
they are both fcreened from the weather. The lparrow in
Africa hedges round its neft with thorns; and even the fwallow,
under the eaves of houfes, or in the rifts of rocks, makes a tube
to its neft of fix or feven inches in length. The fame kind of
birds in Northern Europe, having nothing to apprehend from
monkies, fnakes, and other noxious animals, conftrudt open
nefts.
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