DECEIVING WILD CREATURES. 47 



leaning against vibrating in response to the heart 

 beats taking place in my body, I cannot say, 

 but he suddenly stopped in the middle of his 

 ablutions, and listened with a sharp, enquiring eye 

 turned in my direction, and presently flew away 

 with suspicious haste and directness. 



Studying the intelligence and affections of 

 birds is a most engaging pursuit. 



I have often exchanged blackbirds' eggs for those 

 belonging to a song thrush, and vice versa, without 

 any notice whatever being taken of the substitu- 

 tion by either species, and once played a selfishly 

 mean trick upon a redshank. Her eggs began to 

 chip before the weather allowed me an opportunity 

 of making photographic studies of her going on 

 to the nest ; so I exchanged them for those 

 of a lapwing breeding close by, and compelled 

 the unfortunate bird to incubate another week. 

 The fraud was either undetected or unheeded, 

 for the birds hatched off, and took away each 

 other's broods in safety, and I can only hope that 

 no domestic complications arose in either family 

 afterwards. 



With a view to making further experiments 

 in the discerning qualities of the avian mind, I 

 had four wooden eggs carved for me by a local 

 joiner of the size and shape of those laid by a 

 song thrush. My wife painted and varnished 

 them for me, and as soon as they were dry I 



