420 ANSERES. PELECANID^. 



curious mate, that he twirled the broken wing quite 

 round, and turned it inside out. The mischief 

 was prodigiously increased. It was now necessary 

 to put a stop to this process of investigation of 

 the one bird into the misfortune of the other. 

 I came in just as these exhibitions had occurred, 

 and taking up the bird with its twisted wing, I 

 was obliged after setting the limb, to restrain him 

 from any further gratification of his mate's curio- 

 sity by tying the wing into place, and keeping 

 it so tied, till the bone united. The one now 

 attended the other, and carefully examined, day 

 after day, the broken limb. Calling on him to 

 make an occasional effort to raise the disabled 

 and immoveable member, she used her ineffectual 

 endeavours to persuade him to lift it, though tied, 

 by lifting her own from time to time. 



" Though this fellow-feeling was so strongly and 

 so remarkably manifested with regard to the broken 

 wing, — when feeding together, the abler female 

 did not hesitate to take advantage of her greater 

 agility, by snatching away from her mate his 

 share of victuals, and grappling with him for one 

 and the same piece of meat. Instinct seems to 

 exhibit simple, not complex emotions. If the 

 male bird had been utterly unable to feed him- 

 self, the female would, possibly, herself have sup- 

 plied him with food: — but, able to eat, the un- 

 divided passion was the feeding appetite ; and the 

 instinctive habit of striking at the prey, and grab- 

 bing it, was not capable of restraint, or of any 

 modification whatever. 



