VI CONTENTS. 



Page 

 King of the Quails 43 



Origin of the notion of King Birds . . . .43 

 King Bird of Paradise ...... 44 



King of the Vultures 45 



Eagle as King of the Birds . . . . .46 

 Eagle standards of nations . . . . .47 



The Condor 48 



The Wren, a King Bird 49 



Solitary Birds 50 



The Jack-snipe ....... 50 



The Sand-piper and Wagtail . . . . .52 



The Dunlin 53 



CHAPTER III. 



Birds, solitary or gregarious, on account of shelter or assist- 

 ance ........ 54 



The sociable Grosbeak of Africa . . . .54 



Anecdote of a Swallow . . . . .55 



Analogy from Insects and Quadrupeds . . .56 

 Crowding together of House Sparrows . .59 

 Contest for places among Bottle-tits . . .60 



Roosting of the Blackbird, Thrush, and Starling . .61 

 Roosting of the Wren ...... 62 



Analogy from Sheep ...... 63 



Birds solitary and gregarious at different seasons . 65 



The Lark 65 



The Wheat-ear 67 



CHAPTER IV. 



Pairing of Birds 69 



Extraordinary proportion of the sexes . .69 

 Difference in the male parents of quadrupeds and birds 70 



