OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS. 22j 



may say, among a numerous acquaintance, T have some real friends; perhaps 

 every one so circumstanced will say the same; but I like besides to have 

 friendships which are, to a certain extent, of my own making, and upon 

 which I can somewhat more experimentalize; I mean with the dumb 

 creation. Among these, irrational as they are, it is by no means impossible 

 or even difficult to induce a sympathy of feeling. 



It is admitted that there are many animals which have an intelligence 

 closely bordering upon reason, and there is no doubt that every living 

 creature, even down to the zoophyte, has some sort of perception, for the 

 Polype will not fail to withdraw his feelers on the approach of danger. 

 "The ass knoweth his owner, and the ox his master's crib;" and I remember 

 hearing it said that an old man in our village, (Sunninghill,) if his bees 

 got wet, would dry them gently, by rolling them between the folds of a 

 clean cloth Now, perhaps of all pet creatures, birds are best known to 

 us, and I am sure scarcely one of my readers will fail to call to mind 

 the welcome note which greeted him as he descended to the parlour in 

 the morning. Why should not a bird be as capable of likes and dislikes 

 as a dog or a horse? It will be said that these are gifted with superior 

 intelligence: are you sure of that? They shew it more, but may not that 

 be more in shew than reality; that is, may not birds have as acute percep- 

 tions and strong instincts, though they do not exhibit it in their looks. 

 Here they have a difficulty, for although the ruffled plumes and erected 

 crest are indicative of disturbance of some kind, we cannot see the play of 

 the muscles as we can in animals which have no such feathery clothing. 

 But at least in the one instinct of constructing a habitation, they are far 

 superior to all animals, the beaver excepted. 



The most important object of their lives, and that which nature has 

 lavished all her gifts upon, is the reproduction of the species; and hence 

 we find in every animal, that this object calls forth unwonted and extraordi- 

 nary qualities; the timid become bold, the savage gentle, the wild tame; 

 and animals which are apparently gifted with less intelligence than others, 

 display the most astonishing mechanical skill; look even at the insect 

 tribes, and at their wonderful "baby-houses," and yet it is very common 

 to deny them even the smallest perceptions; but here is a great mistake. 

 We even read of a poor prisoner who made friends of the very spiders 

 that spun their webs around his dungeon; and shall we then deny to birds 

 as great a capability of sympathy as these? It were preposterous to deny 

 it; go to our invaluable friend Mr. Kidd, and ask him, and see what a 

 shower of feathery eloquence you will call down; aye, and not mere eloquence 

 neither, for he talks and writes to purpose, and has, as he ought to have, 

 I am sure, a great contempt for those who are disposed to use that epithet 

 towards such pursuits as ours. 



