16 BIRD NOTES 



taught or not, they certainly learn it from the 

 older birds; the fear does not come altogether 

 naturally to them: I have had many proofs 

 of this. Two young chaffinches were almost 

 brought up upon my window-sill last spring. 

 They underwent a regular course of instruction in 

 the art of eating, and most amusing it was to 

 watch it. At first not a crumb was taken without 

 the assistance of a parent bird ; gradually they 

 were left a little more, and when the pinch of 

 hunger was strong they would try to peck up a 

 little for themselves, crying all the time. Directly 

 the parents came back their helplessness also 

 returned, and the large mouths gaped and the 

 wings drooped entreatingly. A most voracious 

 bird was one of them the son and heir, and such 

 a little Turk ! He would not suffer any bird not 

 of the family to come upon the window-sill while 

 he was there. It was absurd to see how birds 

 much more powerful than himself retreated before 

 the open-mouthed attack of the courageous young 

 thing that could not yet feed itself. I noticed 

 that though the parents flew away when I went 

 too close to the window, the young ones at first 

 merely looked round in astonishment, and then 

 began to peck about for the crumbs. After a time 

 they also flew away if I went too near. 



I noticed the same thing when some long- 



