A WIDOW AND TWINS. 131 



closely as almost or quite to touch him with 

 her wings. On completing the circle she 

 dropped upon the perch at his side, but im- 

 mediately rose again, and again flew round 

 him. It was a beautiful act, beautiful 

 beyond the power of any words of mine to 

 set forth ; an expression of maternal ecstasy, 

 I could not doubt, answering to the rap- 

 turous caresses and endearments in which 

 mothers of human infants are so frequently 

 seen indulging. Three days afterward, to 

 my delight, I saw it repeated in every par- 

 ticular, as if to confirm my opinion of its 

 significance. The sight repaid all my watch- 

 ings thrice over, and even now I feel my 

 heart growing warm at the recollection of 

 it. Strange thoughtlessness, is it not, which 

 allows mothers capable of such passionate 

 devotion, tiny, defenseless things, to be 

 slaughtered by the million for the enhance- 

 ment of woman's charms! 



At this point we suddenly became aware 

 that for at least a day or two the old bird 

 had probably been feeding her offspring in 

 two ways, sometimes by regurgitation, 

 and sometimes by a simple transfer from 

 beak to beak. The manner of our discovery 



