24 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



hand, such works lay stress upon the fact that in many- 

 species of birds the parents drive their offspring away 

 from the place of their birth in order that the numbers 

 of the species in the locality shall not outgrow the food 

 supply. How far this is a general characteristic of 

 birds I do not know. What I desire to emphasise is 

 that the driving-away process, when it occurs, does not 

 take place until some time after the young have left the 

 nest. The fact that the parent birds tend the young 

 long after they have left the nest, and even after they 

 are fully capable of holding their own in the struggle 

 for existence, disposes of the above-cited objection to 

 the theory of Natural Selection. Nature is so careful 

 of the young warriors that she prolongs the instinct 

 of parental affection longer than is absolutely necessary. 

 So important is it that the young should have a fair 

 start in life that she errs on the safe side. 



It is common knowledge that foster-parents feed 

 cuckoos when these have grown so large that, in order 

 to reach the mouth of their spurious babes, the little 

 foster-mothers have to perch on their shoulders. 



The sight of a tiny bird feeding the great parasite 

 is laughable, but it is also most instructive. It demon- 

 strates how thoroughly bird mothers perform their 

 duties. 



Crows tend their young ones for weeks after they 

 have left the nest. I have had ample opportunity of 

 satisfying myself as to this. 



It was my custom in Madras to breakfast on the 

 verandah. A number of crows used to assemble daily 

 to watch operations and to pick up the pieces of food 



