INTELLIGENCE IN BIRDS. 117 



below the house, and with outstretched necks answered 

 back loud notes of satisfaction. Soon a white gander 

 commenced dancing a lively jig, keeping good time to 

 the music : for several minutes he ke})t up the perform- 

 ance, to the great delight of the company. The experi- 

 ment was tried several times during each day for a week 

 or more, and the tones of the accordion never failed to 

 set the old gander into a lively dance. Birds are the 

 most generous of animals, often dividing their scanty 

 substance with others in greater need. Some of the 

 lazy Mexicans take advantage of this noble trait in the 

 pelicans, to obtain their own food by a process more 

 cruel than robbery. They maim some of these birds 

 and tie them up to trees without food : hunger causes 

 the poor animals to cry for assistance and their freed 

 companions, far more human in nature than these Mexi- 

 cans, which seem to be only human in form, bring fish 

 from the neighboring waters to relieve their suffering 

 companions. The men lying in wait fall upon these 

 new-comers and make them disgorge the fish, and with- 

 out mercy themselves again send the pelicans on their 

 errands of mercy. 



Who has not seen the old chanticleer of the farmyard 

 call about him his harem and their numerous progeny, 

 and give them the hist morsel of the food which he had 

 found. What affection and solicitude nearly all birds 

 show for their mates and young, often sacrificing life 

 and liberty in their defense ! 



Many of them chose their mates for life. Sorrow at 

 the death of one often causes the death of the other. 



