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his feet, making the peculiar little call note by which 

 the hen quails attract the mate. That summer she 

 laid 72 eggs, not in a nest, but just dropping them 

 about anywhere ; they were all unfertile, and this 

 annoyed the owner so much that he parted with the 

 prolific little creature, whose affection it is to be 

 feared was as little appreciated as it was remarkable 

 and somewhat absurd. 



The Bullfinch is a very affectionate bird as a rule, 

 and as might be expected many instances of its 

 attachment to human beings are on record. A lady 

 who owned a beautiful piping Bullfinch had to leave 

 her home for a week, during which time the bird 

 pined visibly, and called incessantly for his absent 

 mistress, upon whose shoulder he was accustomed to 

 sit for hours at a time while she read or sewed. He 

 ate but little, and the person who had charge of him 

 was afraid he would hardly live till the lady returned, 

 but he did, and when he saw her, in spite of his weak- 

 ness he fluttered about his cage in a state of great 

 excitement, and when she opened the door he instantly 

 darted out upon her breast, spread out his wings, and 

 died. 



Man}^ similar instances might be related, but let 

 these suffice to prove the assertion that birds do form 

 strange attachments. 



