48 BIRDS AND MAN 



another's presence, in spite of the enormous differ- 

 ence in size, voice, habits, etc. I beHeve that this 

 sympathy exists and is just as strong between a 

 cow and its small volatile companion, the wagtail, 

 as between a bird and mammal that more nearly 

 resemble each other in size ; for instance, the 

 partridge, or pheasant, and rabbit. 



The only bird with us that appears to have some 

 such feeling of pleasure in the company of man is 

 the robin. It is not universal, not even very com- 

 mon, and Macgillivray, in speaking of the confidence 

 in men of that bird during severe weather, very truly 

 says, '' In ordinary times he is not perfectly dis- 

 posed to trust in man." Any person can prove 

 this for himself by going into a garden or shrubbery 

 and approaching a robin. We see, too, that the bird 

 shows intense anxiety when its nest is approached 

 by a man ; this point, however, need not be made 

 much of, since all visitors, een its best friends, are 

 unwelcome to the breeding bird. Still, there is no 

 doubt that the robin is less distrustful of man than 

 other species, but not surely because this bird is 

 regarded by most persons with kindly feelings. The 

 curious point is that the young birds find something 

 in man to attract them. This is usually seen at the 

 end of summer, when the old birds have gone into 



