Birds and their Nurslings. 191 



drain. Then he must have done so, finding it a " nut too 

 hard to crack/' notwithstanding his sharp teeth and 

 powerful leverage of jaws. 



BIRDS AND THEIR NURSLINGS. 



Among the small birds there is a remarkable difference 

 in the mode of tending and feeding their young, which I 

 have just had an opportunity of observing. I have else- 

 where spoken of a tree pipit, whose brood was brought 

 to me for examination, the mother, in some mysterious 

 way, finding whither they had been taken, and, after a 

 time, appearing upon the scene. I fancied the cock also 

 came, as a second bird, resembling a pipit, was observed 

 hovering about; but if so, he went off again, and was 

 not seen afterwards. The hen, however, true to her 

 maternal instincts, stayed by her imprisoned offspring, 

 approaching as near to them as she thought safe, at 

 intervals uttering a tiny " cheep " of solicitude, to which 

 the youngsters gave response in much louder tone. 



Placing them upon the grass, I withdrew to a distance 

 to note the result. And a curious spectacle it was the 

 manoeuvring of the mother to get them away from what 

 she must have supposed a dangerous proximity. Alight- 

 ing on the ground, some distance beyond them, she 

 would run up till near enough for them to see her. Then, 

 as they fluttered towards her, for, being almost fledged, 

 they could do this, she would turn tail on them, and 

 draw off a little way, again to make stop till they came 

 up. This manoeuvre was repeated time after time, till 

 she had coaxed them half-way across a field, in the direc- 



