Bill fucceffively over the greatest Part of her Feathers, oils. and dreffes them, gives them a Luftre, and fills up all the Vacancies with this vifcous Matter; after which, the Water only flides over the Bird, all the Avenues to her Body being perfectly clofed. Ducks, Geese, and all fuch Fowls as live in the Water, are provided with this unétuous Matter in great Abundance.

The various Forms and different Situations of their Nefts, the Solicitude and Care with which they attend their Eggs, and the Birth and Education of their Young, deferves alfo your Attention, and will command your higheft Admiration. You will obferve a furprizing Difference in the Materials, Architecture, and Situation of the Nefts of the different Species, yet all of the fame Species building exactly alike. When the Seafon of Incubation or Sitting arrives, you will see these active unfettled Creatures, forgetting their natural Difpofitions, fix themselves upon their Eggs, fubmit to feveral Weeks Reftraint, renounce the Pleafures that fo agreeable a Seafon of the Year muft afford, with a Care and Tendernefs equally furprizing. And when at laft their young Ones appear, then you will fee all their Affiduity and Attention exerted to provide them with Food, to defend them from Danger, and to take all other Care of their Education till they can provide for themfelves, and then the kind parental Fondness ceases.

The Caufe of the Migration of fome Species of Birds, or their fudden Difappearance at certain Seafons of the Year, will alfo be an Enquiry that will afford you fome Pleasure. The Swallow, the Stork, the Cuckoo, and fome others, whither they go, or where they hide themselves, how they know the Seafon when to come, and when to depart, will all afford you Matter of curious Enquiry, and ufeful Entertainment

But I would have you regard thefe Leffons rather as fhort Hints and Directions, how you may turn over and look into the Book of Nature, than as a full and ample Account of all the various and ufeful Knowledge you will find there. You have neither Time at prefent, nor Abilities for more. In the mean while, I will give you the natural Hiftory of fome few of the most extraordinary Birds, and then we will proceed to Quadrupeds, or four-footed Beafts.

There are many Sorts of EAGLES, but that called the Golden Eagle is chief, and is commonly reckon'd the King of Birds. He is found in the Defarts of Arabia, and in the remoteft Parts VOL. !!.

Of the Eagle,

of

of Scythia. He is a Bird of great Strength, exceeding bold, and very voracious and fierce in devouring his Prey. He is of a large Size, near four Feet long from the Point of the Bill to the End of the Tail; and betwixt the Points of each Wing, when extended, near fix Feet; his Beak is very strong, crooked and sharp, fo alfo are his Talons or Claws. Their common Prey is Hares, Rabbits, Kids, Lambs, &c. but when preffed by Hunger, they will feize on larger Animals. His Sight is fo exceeding fharp and piercing, that he can fee his Prey upon the Ground, tho' at ever fo great a Height in the Air, and darts upon it with a furprizing Rapidity. And as his Eye is of fuch great Ufe in fpying out his Prey, Nature has contrived to preferve it with uncommon Care, having instead of one, provided it with four Lids or Covers. They build their Nefts generally on the Sides of high and inacceffible Rocks, or on the Tops of old decay'd large Trees, and feldom lay above two Eggs at a Time. They live to a prodigious Age, fome fay three hundred Years, but that is probably a Mistake.

Oftie ftrich.

This is generally thought to be the largeft, at leaft it is one of the talleft Birds in the World, being full as high as a Man on Horseback. It is found both in Africa and Arabia, particularly in the fandy Defarts of Arabia. The Head and Bill resemble thofe of a Duck, their Wings are not large enough in Proportion to their Body to raise them from the Ground, but ferve as Sails or Oars to cut thro' or impel the Air, and add great Swiftness to their Feet, which are shod with a horny Substance, enabling them to tread firmly, and to run a long Time without hurting themselves. They are frequently hunted with Greyhounds, and when in Danger of being taken, fuddenly ftop, let down one of their Wings, and covering their whole Body with it, fuffer the Dog to get his Mouth full of Feathers, then taking to their Heels again, ere the Dog can difengage himself from the Feathers, they are got a confiderable Way before him, What is moft remarkable of this Bird is, that the lays her Eggs in the Sand, and entirely forgetting them, fuffers them to be hatched by the Heat of the Sun, and quite contrary to all other Creatures whatsoever, appears utterly deftitute of parental Affection.

The

The SWAN is one of the principal of those amphibious web-footed Birds that live either by of the Swan. Land or Water. It is a large and ftately Bird, of a Milk-white Colour, and on a fine Canal

or River makes a beautiful Appearance. Its Neck is very long, and confifts of between twenty and thirty Joints, which enable it to fifh as with a Line. In fwimming it is faid to use one Foot as an Oar, and with the other to fteer its Body. They generally make their Nefts among the Rufhes, near the Banks of Rivers; and during the Time of the Female's fitting, the Male will attack any body that comes near her Neft, with great Fiercenefs and Obftinacy. When on Land, they feed either on Grafs or Grain, and in the Water on Fifh, or the Spawn of Fifh; and they are faid to The Notion of this live upwards of a hundred Years. Bird's melodious finging before its Death is a vulgar Error, and might probably take its Rife from the Fable of the Ancients, that the Soul of Orpheus the old Greek Poet and Mufician, paffed by Transmigration into the Body of a Swan.

Of all finging Birds the NIGHTINGALE is

allowed to be the chief; his Notes are sweeter, of the Night. more melodious, and more various, than the Notes ingale of any other Bird. And what is remarkable is his beginning to fing, or at least continuing to fing, after all the others have ceafed, as if confcious to him-. felf that his Mufic deferved a more particular Regard. It is very rare that one can get a Sight of thefe Evening Muficians; but the Beauty of their Feathers is not at all equal to the Melody of their Songs, their Colour being a dufky redifh brown; and in Size and Shape they refemble the Goldfinch. The Time of their finging and breeding their young ones, is from the latter End of April to the Beginning of June, after which they are never either heard or feen, 'till the fame Seafon returns again; infomuch that many look upon them as a Bird of Paffage. The particular Formation and deficate Structure of the Windpipe in finging Birds, fo peculiarly adapted to form the niceft Modulations of Voice, is very well worthy of curious Obfervation.

Of the Swal

This is one of the most noted of those we call Birds of Paffage, as it is a domeftic Bird, dwelling altogether in Towns and Villages, and buildOf thefe Nefts ing its Nefts even in our Houses. the Architecture, the Materials, and their manner of ufing

Q 2

them,

them, are altogether furprizing. She wants neither Sticks, nor Hay, nor Ligaments of any Sort; but wetting her Breaft and her Wings on the Surface of the Water, and then fhaking the Moisture over the Duft, tempers and works it up with her Bill into a kind of Mortar or Cement, with which the erects a Dwelling, equally fecure and convenient, and with fuch wonderful Exactnefs and Regularity, as is not to be imitated by the Art of Man. Concerning the Migration of thefe Birds, or their Difappearance at the End of Summer, Naturalifts are very much divided: fome fuppofing that they take Wing by confent about the End of September, and fly to fome warmer Climate; and others, that they hide themfelves in Rocks, or Caves, or under the Surface of the Water, where they have fometimes been found in great Numbers hanging together by the Feet like Bees in a Swarm. And that this is the Truth of the Matter appears probable alfo from hence, that at the Beginning of the Spring Season, they are generally found near Rocks or watery Places, flying weakly about, as it were to try their Wings after their firft Revival from their Winter Sleep.

Of the Bat.

I will conclude my Account of Birds with this Creature, as it partakes both of the Nature of Birds and of four-footed Beafts. Its Head,

Body, and the Hair or Furr with which it is covered, very much refemble thofe of a Moufe; it also brings forth its young ones perfectly formed like the four-footed Kind, and gives them Suck. It partakes of the feather'd Kind, in having only two Legs, large Wings, and the Power of flying. Its Wings confift of one entire Skin, webb'd together fomewhat like the Feet of Water-Fowl, and at the Top of their Wings are two Hooks or Claws, which they make use of to hang by whilft they are feeding, fleeping, or refting themfelves. Thefe Creatures very rarely appear in the Day-time, but fly in the Dufk of the Evening only, and are faid to fleep all the Winter in the Holes of old Houses or Walls. It is a very proper Emblem of a Man that acts a falfe or double Character, appearing now in one Light or Shape, and then in another; and as fuch a Man is defpifed and kicked out of all honeft Company, so these doubtful and amphibious Vermin are allowed the Honour of a Place neither amongst the Birds nor Beafts.

CHAP.

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