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already grown too fond of the youngster to destroy 

 it. Thus Mr. Finn writes '* probably by the time 

 that the hen crow awakes to the fact that she has 

 been 'sold again' maternal affection — that powerful 

 force which makes cats foster rats, and wolves 

 babies — has asserted itself to such an extent that she 

 cannot bid the intruder begone." Personally I am 

 inclined to beHeve that the maternal affection of 

 birds is greatly exaggerated. It is true that birds 

 look well after their young, that they will deny them- 

 selves in order to feed them and will fight most 

 bravely in their defence. But is this maternal affec- 

 tion as we understand it ? I think not. It is mere 

 instinct. If it be maternal nffection how are we 

 able to account for the fact that swifts and swal- 

 lows in England, when the time for the autumnal 

 migration arrives, desert their late broods, leaving 

 them in the nest to die of starvation ? To my way of 

 thinking it is blind instinct that makes the mother 

 bird look after her offspring or whatever else 

 happens to be in the nest. This instinct is so 

 deeply implanted in the bird that she will sometimes 

 give her life to save her young. But in migratory 

 species the migrating instinct is stronger than the 



