NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



not perish of cold. In two weeks or longer, according 

 to the species of bird, the eager parents hear the feeble 

 cheep-cheep-cheep of the now fully matured babies in 

 the shells. Presently the shell covering bursts, and 

 the babies are born. The mother carefully takes the 

 broken shells in her bill, flies forth, and drops them 

 some distance from the nest to put bird-nesting boys 

 off the scent. Baby birds grow rapidly and require a 

 large quantity of food. The loving parents never 

 seem to tire, for to them it is a work of love. All 

 day long the farmers* fields, the garden, orchard, wood, 

 and veld are searched for insects. To and fro the 

 parent birds fly from dawn to dewy eve. Often, owing 

 to unfavourable weather and other reasons, barely 

 sufficient insects can be procured to satisfy the appetites 

 of the children, and the parents go to bed supperless. 

 The babies have the first claim, and should the day 

 yield few insects, all go into the stomachs of the 

 children, and the parents are content to fast, trusting 

 to the morrow to furnish a better harvest. 



Alas ! how often do we bring woe and blackest 

 grief into these happy homes ? Coveting the beautiful 

 plumage of the father bird ! Seeing him busily search- 

 ing in the orchard or garden for caterpillars for his 

 children, and misinterpreting his actions ! Or in the 

 spirit of sheer wantonness he is shot to death with 

 catapult, air-gun, or shot-gun. His plumage is stripped 

 from his body to decorate a woman's hat or to add to a 

 collection of birds' skins. Perchance his feathered 

 body is simply left to rot where it fell. Would that 

 every bird-slaying boy could see what happens as the 



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