Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
Nay (unlike the stork) she leaveth etc. Hence, called by the Arabs the impious bird. However, the fact is, she lays her eggs with great care about a foot beneath the surface, and hatches them as other birds do; but in hot countries the eggs do not need so constant incubation; she therefore often leaves them during the day: moreover, the outer eggs intended for food, she feeds her young with (Cuvier, 'Animal Kingdom,' 8: 432); these eggs, lying separate in the sand exposed to the sun, gave rise to the idea of her altogether leaving them. God describes her as she seems to man: implying, though she may seem foolishly to neglect her young, yet really she is guided by a sure instinct from God, as much as animals of instincts widely different.