PAIRING. 149 
*« A male and female of this species were lodged to- 
gether in a large square cage. The vessel which 
held their food was placed at the bottom. The 
male usually sat on the same perch with the female, 
and close beside her. Whenever one descended 
for food, the other always followed ; and when their 
hunger was satisfied, they returned together to the 
highest perch of the cage. ‘They passed four years 
together in this state of confinement; and from 
their mutual attentions and satisfaction, it was evi- 
dent that a strong affection for each other had been 
excited. At the end of this period the female fell 
into a state of languor which had every symptom 
of old age; her legs swelled, and knots appeared 
upon them, as if the disease had been of the nature 
of gout. It was no longer possible for her to de- 
scend and take her food as formerly ; but the male 
assiduously bronght it her, carrying it in his bill 
and delivering it into hers. He continued to feed 
her in this manner with the utmost vigilance for four 
months. The infirmities of his mate, however, in- 
creased every day, and at length she became no 
longer able to sit upon the perch: she remained 
crouched at the bottom, and from time to time made 
a few useless efforts to regain the lower perch; 
while the male, who remained close by her, sec- 
onded these feeble attempts with all his power. 
Sometimes he seized with his bill the upper part of 
her wing, to fry to draw her up to him: sometimes 
he took hold of her bill and attempted to raise her 
up, repeating his efforts for that purpose several 
times. Hiscountenance, his gestures, his continual 
solicitude, everything, in short, indicated in this af- 
fectionate bird an ardent desire to aid the weakness 
of his companion, and to alleviate her sufferings. 
But the scene became still more interesting when 
the female was at the point of expiring. Her un- 
fortunate partner went round and round her without 
ceasing ; he redoubled Hie. assiduities and his tender 
9 J 
