FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BIRDS. 147 



chaps will eat are surprising, as they are unremittingly 

 consuming from morning till night ; and this flycatcher 

 seems to require a proportion of food equal to any bird, 

 being in constant progress, capturing one moment, and 

 resting the next. But fruit and insects are with us only 

 for a short season ; and their privations, when these no 

 longer afford a supply, indicate, that they possess the 

 power of abstinence, as well as that of consumption. 



We observed this summer two common thrushes 

 frequenting the shrubs on the green in our garden. 

 From the slenderness of their forms, and the freshness 

 of their plumage, we pronounced them to be birds of 

 the preceding summer. There was an association and 

 friendship between them, that called our attention to 

 their actions -. one of them seemed ailing, or feeble 

 from some bodily accident ; for though it hopped about, 

 yet it appeared unable to obtain sufficiency of food ; its 

 companion, an active sprightly bird, would frequently 

 bring it worms, or bruised snails, when they mutually 

 partook of the banquet ; and the ailing bird would wait 

 patiently, understand the actions, expect the assistance 

 of the other, and advance from his asylum upon its 

 approach. This procedure was continued for some days, 

 but after a time we missed the fostered bird, which 

 probably died, or by reason of its weakness met with 

 some fatal accident. We have many relations of 

 the natural affection of animals ; and whoever has at- 

 tended to the actions of the various creatures we are 

 accustomed to domesticate about us can probably add 

 many other instances from their own observation. Ac- 

 tions which are in any way analogous to the above, 

 when they are performed by mankind, arise most com- 

 monly from duty, affection, pity, interest, pride ; but we 

 are not generally disposed to allow the inferior orders 

 of creation the possession of any of these feelings, 

 except perhaps the last : yet when we have so many 

 instances of attachment existing between creatures 

 similar and dissimilar in their natures, which are obvious 

 to all, and where no interest can possibly arise as a 

 motive ; when we mark the varieties of disposition 

 which they manifest under uniform treatment, their 



