Ornithological and Other Oddities 



is apt to be particularly strong, and M. Gabriel 

 Rogeron, whose delightful book, " Les Canards," 

 should be in the hands of every one who is 

 interested in the half-human heart that beats 

 under a bird's feathers, gives a most amusing 

 instance of this — the case of a Garganey teal 

 drake, who was consumed with admiration for 

 Mandarin ducks ; " for his heart," says M. 

 Rogeron, " was large enough to embrace them 

 all." He would have nothing to say to his own 

 species, and his own mate in return very properly 

 scouted him. An attempt was made to wean 

 him from this unfortunate infatuation by sending 

 him away to live among a mixed collection of 

 other birds, from which his charmers were absent. 

 But it was of no use ; after more than a year's 

 absence from its objects his hopeless passion was 

 as strong as ever, and his owner was forced re- 

 luctantly to banish him for ever. 



Romance in most people's minds attaches itself 

 more to the little song-birds than to the bigger 

 species I have been mentioning ; but though the 

 same emotions appear in them, they are usually 

 less marked and less striking in their expression, 

 even allowing for the difference in size. More- 

 over, the females of small birds, especially those 

 of temperate climates, are often particularly 

 nasty-tempered little things. Most people have 

 seen poor Philip Sparrow's well-meant attempts 



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