116 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



to them as well as the mothers, though not 

 all as much as the cock sparrow, who is one 

 of the best of fathers in the bird world. 



With birds that have active young ones, 

 the father often does not bother himself 

 about them, but leaves all the care of them 

 to the mother ; this you can see with the 

 ordinary cock and drake. Male birds who, 

 like these two, have very much finer plumage 

 than their wives, generally behave in this 

 unfeeling way. But perhaps it is not so un- 

 feeling as it looks, for it is important for young 

 birds and their mothers not to be seen, and 

 one bright -coloured bird going about with 

 them might put the enemy on their track by 

 being too conspicuous. However this may 

 be, it is certain that male birds whose plumage 

 is not much, or any, brighter than their mates' 

 are generally attentive fathers, as in the case 

 with the gander and the cock partridge ; 

 the cock partridge even broods or warms his 

 young ones as well as the mother, besides 

 helping her to defend them against enemies. 



The warning against enemies which is given 

 to the young sparrows, as I said just now, 

 soon makes them wilder ; besides, no doubt 



