TRAINING OF YOUNG BIRDS. 175 
their offspring was emancipated. Ina few minutes 
both parents arrived, loaded, as usual, with food. 
They no sooner perceived that one of their chil- 
dren had escaped from prison, than they fluttered 
about and made a thousand demonstrations of joy, 
both with their wings and with their voices. ‘These 
tumultuous expressions of unexpected happiness at 
last gave place to a more calm and soothing con- 
versation. By their voices and their movements it 
was evident that they earnestly entreated him to 
follow them, and to fly from his present dangerous 
state. He seemed to be impatient to obey their 
mandates; but, by his gestures and the feeble 
sounds he uttered, he plainly expressed that he was 
afraid to try an exertion he had never before at- 
tempted. They, however, incessantly repeated 
their solicitations; by flying alternately from the 
cage to a neighbouring chimney-top, they endeav- 
oured to show him how easily the journey was to 
be accomplished. He at last committed himself 
to the air, and alighted in safety. On his arrival, 
another scene of clamorous and active joy was ex- 
hibited. Next day 1 repeated the same experiment, 
by exposing another of the young ones on the top 
of the cage. I observed the same conduct with the 
remainder of the brood, which consisted of four. I 
need hardly add, that not one, either of the parents 
or children, ever afterward revisited the execrated 
cage.””* 
It does not appear to us that, in the instance of 
carnivorous birds, the bringing of live prey to the 
young, and of inviting them to kill and devour it, is 
capable of being interpreted, as it usually has been, 
as an instance of training them to hunt. We have 
seen a kitten brought up by hand from the day it 
could see, and, of course, before the mother had 
any opportunity of instructing it to mouse, exhibit 
* Philosophy of Natural History. 
