AN ESSAY ON BIRD-MIND 1 1 1 



them is caught on or close to the rim of the nest. 

 One such case was recorded by Mr. Chance's camera. 

 The unfortunate fledgling scrambled about on the 

 branches below the nest; the parent Pipit flew back 

 with food; the cries and open mouth of the ejected 

 bird attracted attention, and it was fed; and the 

 mother then settled down upon the nest as if all was 

 in normal order. Meanwhile, the movements of the 

 fledgling in the foreground grew feebler, and one 

 could imagine its voice quavering off, fainter and 

 fainter, as its vital warmth departed. At the next 

 return of the parent with food the young one was 

 dead. 



It was the utter stupidity of the mother that was 

 so impressive — its simple response to stimulus — of 

 feeding to the stimulus of the young's cry and open 

 mouth, of brooding to that of the nest with some- 

 thing warm and feathery contained in it — its neglect 

 of any steps whatsoever to restore the fallen nestling 

 to safety. It was almost as pitiable an exhibition 

 of unreason as the well-attested case of the wasp at- 

 tendant on a wasp-grub, who, on being kept without 

 food for some time, grew more and more restless, and 

 eventually bit off the hind end of the grub and offered 

 it to what was left ! 



Birds in general are stupid, in the sense of being 

 little able to meet unforeseen emergencies; but their 

 lives are often emotional, and their emotions are 

 richly and finely expressed. I have for years been 

 interested in observing the courtship and the rela- 



