PAIRING. 149 



" A male and female of this species were lodged to- 

 gether in a large square cage. The vessel which 

 held their food was placed at the bottom. The 

 male usually sat on the same perch with the female, 

 and close beside her. Whenever one descended 

 for food, the other always followed ; and when their 

 hunger was satisfied, they returned together to the 

 highest perch of the cage. They passed four years 

 together in this state of confinement ; and from 

 their mutual attentions and satisfaction, it was evi- 

 dent that a strong affection for each other had been 

 excited. At the end of this period the female fell 

 into a state of languor which had every symptom 

 of old age ; her legs swelled, and knots appeared 

 upon them, as if the disease had been of the nature 

 of gout. It was no longer possible for her to de- 

 scend and take her food as formerly ; but the male 

 assiduously brought it her, carrying it in his bill 

 and delivering it into hers. He continued to feed 

 her in this manner with the utmost vigilance for four 

 months. The infirmities of his mate, however, in- 

 creased every day, and at length she became no 

 longer able to sit upon the perch : she remained 

 crouched at the bottom, and from time to time made 

 a few useless efforts to regain the lower perch ; 

 while the male, who remained close by her, sec- 

 onded these feeble attempts with all his power. 

 Sometimes he seized with his bill the upper part of 

 her wing, to try to draw her up to him : sometimes 

 he took hold of her bill and attempted to raise her 

 up, repeating his efforts for that purpose several 

 times. His countenance, his gestures, his continual 

 solicitude, everything, in short, indicated in this af- 

 fectionate bird an ardent desire to aid the weakness 

 of his companion, and to alleviate her sufferings. 

 But the scene became still more interesting when 

 the female was at the point of expiring. Her un- 

 fortunate partner went round and round her without 

 ceasing ; he redoubled his assiduities and his tender 

 N2 



