A BIRD'S-NEST HUNTER. 75 



than a blessing in disguise, we said to eacli 

 other. But before many days it became 

 evident that the pair had given up the nest, 

 and I carried it to a friend whom I knew 

 to be in want of such a specimen for his 

 cabinet. 



It is worth noticing how widely birds of 

 the same species differ among themselves 

 in their behavior under trial. Their minds 

 are no more run in one mould than human 

 minds are. In their case, as in ours, in- 

 numerable causes have worked together to 

 produce the unique individual result. Much 

 is due to inheritance, no doubt, but much 

 likewise to accident. One mother has 

 never had her nest invaded, and is there- 

 fore careless of our presence. Another has 

 so frequently been robbed of her all that 

 she has grown hardened to disaster, and 

 she also makes no very great ado when we 

 intrude upon her. A third is still in a 

 middle state, alive to the danger, but not 

 yet able to face it philosophically, and 

 she will become hysterical at the first symp- 

 tom of trouble. 



At the very time of the mishap just 

 described I was keeping watch over the 



