170 THE YOUTH OF BIRDS. 



was deprived of three of them. A few days after she was seen to leave 

 the premises, and be absent for a considerable period of time, and soon 

 after her return, she was noticed to leave them again. On looking at them 

 when she returned a second time, two young hares, to the utter amaze- 

 ment of the owner, were found to be added to the number. The adopted 

 young were treated by the parent animal with the most aflFectionate ten- 

 derness, and under her care they thrived very well. 



Again, according to E. Jesse, this incongruous attachment in animals may 

 arise either from the feelings of natural affection, which every mother is 

 possessed of, or else from that love of sociability, and dislike of being alone, 

 which is possessed more or less by every created being. The subjoined 

 anecdote, taken from his "Gleanings in Natural History," will, no doubt, 

 convey to the reader the veracity of this theory, — 



*'A gentleman, residing in Sussex, had a cat which shewed the greatest 

 attachment for a young blackbird, which was given to her by a stable-boy 

 for food a day or two after she had been deprived of her kittens. She 

 tended it with the greatest care; they became inseparable companions, and 

 no mother could shew a greater fondness for her own offspring than she 

 did for the bird." 



Trusting that this concise paper may not prove uninteresting to the 

 general reader, I now lay down my pen, and bid farewell. 



Thirsk, April l\th., 1856. 



*»* The first suggestion as to the supposed pain suffered hy the parent animal, is negatived 

 by the idea suggested afterwards, of the love of sociability being the cause of the adoption 

 of other species; and still more by the fact of the Blackbird being fostered, as certainly a 

 bird could give no relief; neither could the "dislike of being alone" be the cause, as in 

 the first two instances mentioned the animals had some of their young left with them. 

 Nevertheless, Mr. F.'s communication is an interesting one. — F. 0. M. 



THE YOUTH OF BIRDS. 



BY O. S. ROUND, ESQ. 



We talk of birds generally as we are generally acquainted with them, 

 but there is a very interesting study connected with their lives, which it 

 belongs rather to the "bird-fancier," or to him who keeps birds, to consider, 

 and therefore a branch of the subject which we take little heed of; — I 

 mean their "youth," for we jump at once to their maturity, little recking 

 how that maturity was attained, but content to see them poised on airy 

 wing, and gambolling amongst the branches of our deciduous woods, in full 

 possession of plumage and song. It may be said that their youth is a brief 

 period, and so it is, but not for that reason to be disregarded, and more 

 particularly as it is a study which we have to go so little a way to bring 

 under our immediate sphere of observation. I may almost say that the 



