112 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



entrance hole, like the wren. It has often 

 been a puzzle how little '* Jenny " manages to 

 feed all her large family in the dark when she 

 herself is blocking up the doorway of her 

 round nest by standing in it, but if she keeps 

 on feeding as long as any little one cries and 

 gropes with its mouth towards her she cannot 

 very well miss any young one as long as it is 

 strong enough to gape and cry ; weak young 

 birds in a state of nature simply die. 



With dabchicks, which, as I have said, feed 

 the young ones at first, though these are not 

 helpless as far as moving goes, I did notice that 

 they observed fairness, and did not feed the 

 same young one twice in succession ; indeed, I 

 have seen a little one get a peck instead of 

 a mouthful when it cried for more food out of 

 its turn, so that dabchicks, at any rate, have 

 some notion of discipline. But then they are, 

 I think, more intelligent than most other birds. 



Active little birds which feed themselves, 

 like ducklings and chicks, are of course learn- 

 ing all the time ; they know naturally, or by 

 instinct, that moving creatures like insects 

 are good for food, but they do not know that 

 all kinds are not equally nice, and so they will 



