96 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



To the ordinary observer the cock myna is as like the 

 hen as one pea is like any other pea. To one, however, 

 who has an eye for such things, the bigger head and more 

 massive body of the cock render him easily recognisable 

 when in company with his sisters. The brood consisted 

 of two cocks and two hens, so that I made a fair division. 

 Some there are who may question the ethics of my 

 action. I would remind such that, incredible as it may 

 seem, the parent birds, in all probability, did not miss 

 the two young ones. Birds cannot count. Even the 

 wily crow is unable to " spot " the extra egg which the 

 koel has surreptitiously introduced into the nest. It is, of 

 course, possible that although those mynas could not 

 count, they missed the two young birds to the extent of 

 noticing that something was wrong with their brood. 

 If they did all I can say is that they concealed their 

 feelings in an admirable manner, for they continued to feed 

 the remaining young as though nothing had happened. 

 If it be thought incredible that the young birds were not 

 missed, is it not equally hard to believe that not one of 

 the lower animals can tell the difference between two and 

 three? If a dog has three bones before him and you 

 remove one of them, he will not miss it unless he sees 

 you remove it ! 



A chaprassi was appointed to nurse my two young 

 mynas, with instructions to keep them until they should 

 become somewhat more presentable. At the end of three 

 weeks they were adjudged fit to appear in public, being 

 somewhat smaller and rather lanky editions of their 

 parents, with the patch behind the eye white instead 

 of yellow. Having been taken from the nest they were 



