Chap. XIV.] MENTAL QUALITIES. 103 



tingencies as these probably explain most of the foregoing 

 cases.* Nevertheless it is a strange fact that within the 

 same district, during the height of the breeding-season, 

 there should be so many males and females always ready 

 to repair the loss of a mated bird. Why do not such 

 spare birds immediately pair together ? Have we not 

 some reason to suspect, and the suspicion has occurred to 

 Mr. Jenner Weir, that inasmuch as the act of courtship 

 appears to be with many birds a prolonged and tedious 

 affair, so it occasionally happens that certain males and 

 females do not succeed, during the proper season, in ex- 

 citing each other's love, and consequently do not pair? 

 This suspicion will appear somewhat less improbable after 

 we have seen what strong antipathies and preferences fe- 

 male birds occasionally evince toward particular males. 



Mental Qualities of Birds and their Taste for the 

 ^Beautiful. — Before we discuss any further the question 

 whether the females select the more attractive males, or 



the generative organs in certain birds, in 'Phil. Transact.' 1824. In re- 

 gard to birds living in triplets, I owe to Mr. Jemier Weir the cases of 

 the starling and parrots, and to Mr. Fox, of partridges ; on carrion-crows, 

 see the ' Field,' 1868, p. 415. On various male birds singing after the 

 proper period, see Rev. L. Jenyns, ' Observations in Natural History,' 

 1846, p. 87. 



* The following case has been given (' The Times,' Aug. 6, 1868) by 

 the Rev. F. 0. Morris, on the authority of the Hon. and Rev. 0. W. For- 

 ester. " The game-keeper here found a hawk's nest this year, with five 

 young ones in it. He took four and killed them, but left one with its 

 wings clipped as a decoy to destroy the old ones by. They were both 

 shot next day in the act of feeding the young one, and the keeper thought 

 it was done with. The next day he came again and found two other 

 charitable hawks, who had come with an adopted feeling to succor the 

 orphan. These two he killed, and then left the nest. On returning af- 

 terward- he found two more charitable individuals on the same errand of 

 mercy. One of these he killed ; the other he also shot, but could not 

 fiiid. No more came on the like fruitless errand." 



