THE STUDY OF BIRD LIFE 



have nervous systems as sensitive as ours to pain, 

 and that they rival and even transcend us in the acute- 

 ness and depth of their affection and higher emotions. 

 Some species of birds, in losing a mate, will die of 

 grief or remain the rest of their lives faithful to the 

 memory of their dead love. Others are frantic with 

 grief for a longer or shorter period, as with ourselves, 

 before marrying again. The bird leads a life on a 

 parallel with the majority of the human folk. The 

 cock bird courts his lady love even more keenly and 

 persistently than the enamoured young man. He 

 usually has several rivals, each of which seeks by a 

 show of his power in song, flight, display of plumage, 

 or physical vigour, or all combined, to win the young 

 lady's affections. She is coy and shy at first, but, 

 nevertheless, keenly observant. She holds them all 

 aloof until eventually one of them succeeds in kindling 

 the spark of love in her breast. The couple then 

 become engaged, and the rivals take themselves off in 

 anger and disgust. After a period of what human folk 

 couples term " spooning," they marry. Then with 

 joy in their hearts they begin building a home. Both 

 work hard, with intervals to make excursions for food. 

 Tired but happy when the day's work is over, they 

 seek out a secluded nook and, cuddling lovingly 

 together, they sleep until dawn. Eventually the 

 house is finished, and presently the husband bird is 

 sent into a paroxysm of delight on seeing a beautiful 

 egg in the nest. When the full clutch has been laid 

 the parent birds take turn about to keep the eggs 

 warm, so that the developing birdies within them shall 

 vol. i. 145 10 



