io6 BIRDS OF THE PLAINS 



varnished to look like those of the thrush, and put them 

 in the nest, wondering whether the bird would be de- 

 ceived. He need not have wondered ; she would probably 

 have sat upon the shams even had they not been 

 coloured. 



Upon another occasion Mr. Kearton replaced some 

 starling nestlings by his wooden eggs, and waited to see 

 what would happen. " In a few minutes," he writes, 

 "back came the starling with a rush. She gazed in 

 wonder at the contents of the nest for a few seconds, 

 but, quickly making up her mind to accept the strangely 

 altered condition of things, she sat down on the bits of 

 painted wood without a trace of discontent in either 

 look or action. Putting her off again, I reversed the 

 order of things and waited. Upon returning, the starling 

 stared in amazement at the change that had come over 

 the scene during her absence ; but her curiosity soon 

 vanished, and she commenced to brood her chicks in the 

 most matter-of-fact way." Then Mr. Kearton took out 

 the chicks and put his fist into the nest, so that the back 

 of his hand was uppermost. The starling actually 

 brooded his knuckles. We must, of course, remember 

 that a starling's nest is in a hole, where there is but little 

 light. But, provided the starling could not see him, I 

 believe that she would have brooded his knuckles in 

 broad daylight. 



Crows, the most intelligent of birds, will sit upon and 

 try to hatch golf balls and ping-pong balls. One famous 

 kite in Calcutta sat long and patiently in a vain attempt 

 to make a pill-box yield a chick, while another member 

 of this species subjected a hare's skull to similar treat- 



