THE STUDY OF BIRD LIFE 



result of his thoughtless act. This is what he would 

 see. The mother bird soon misses her mate. She 

 grows uneasy, and calls again and again to him. Then 

 her uneasiness increases to alarm, and she flies from 

 tree to tree calling, calling, calling, alas ! in vain, for 

 her mate is dead. With a sinking heart and all joy 

 gone out of her life she works for her children, making 

 the neighbourhood resound with her piteous calls, 

 hoping against hope her dearly beloved mate may heat- 

 her cries. Nobly, faithfully, but wearily she slaves 

 to provide sufficient food for the little orphans. Retir- 

 ing to rest, heavy of heart, in, on, or near the nest, she 

 slumbers uneasily and, forgetting that her mate is dead, 

 she ever and anon in bird language murmurs en- 

 dearingly and snuggles up to him, to awake and find 

 herself alone. The struggle proves too much for her. 

 Emaciated and weary in body and mind, she dies of a 

 broken heart. What of the baby birds ? They die of 

 starvation. 



Is this picture overdrawn ? No, not in the 

 slightest. I have watched the tragedy in my own 

 garden many a time. The cock bird had flown to a 

 neighbour's garden to collect caterpillars, and never 

 returned. The human folk in return for his services 

 had murdered him. 



God has given us the means to make our struggle 

 for life a success. Nay, more; he has placed knowledge 

 within our grasp by which our kind can overspread the 

 earth and live and thrive even in great cities. In the 

 degree that man turns the golden grain of knowledge 

 to practical use, so will he advance and overcome 



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