IX LMKSTICATED NATURE. 



59 



showiup' o 



ft all 



sides ol 



its wonderful 



plumage. Sometimes it secures a linn 

 grip with its feet and bill and vibrates 

 its wings so rapidly that they become a 

 bluish haze, calling out all the while in 

 the thick and almost human utterances 

 of its own strange vocabulary, the un- 

 translatable language of the macaws.— 

 Zoological Society Bulletin. 



A REALLY SELF-SACRIFICING MOTHER. 



Much has been written and said about 

 the courage of maternal animals in caring 

 for their offspring; much of their jealous 

 devotion and faithful work in providing 

 food; much of their skillful devices, cosy 

 arrangements and comfortable burrows; 



;-y-;;>'- T: ^r^3JIB 





THE RABBIT NEST. 



The naked little ones curled up in mixture of 

 fur and hay 



but in my opinion no other seems quite 

 to equal the maternal rabbit. She pulls 

 from her breast and sides great quanti- 

 ties of fur to build a nest for her naked 

 little ones, and her depilation is evi- 

 dently painful or at least decidedly un- 

 comfortable. The process seems to bor- 

 der on tragedy, suicide or something 

 equally momentous when it is consid- 

 ered only from a physical point of view, 

 but when the observer thinks of the 

 wonderful maternal instinct there ex- 

 hibited, it becomes an admirable instance 

 of parental care.. 



Although the breeding portion of the 

 hutch may be liberally supplied with fine 

 hay, the mother will cut parts of that into 

 the fur. and within the mass will place 



A NEAR VIEW OF THE NAKED RABBITS- 

 Separated from fur and hay. 



additional layers of clean fur daintily 

 arranged. 



For two weeks after its completion it 

 is not wise for the fancier to disturb this 

 nest except for an occasional peep. At 



THE PILE OF FUR IN ONE NEST. 



