244 Lif e an d Immortality. 



is too great for her to assume. She leads them into pleas- 

 ant pastures, teaches them to know good from bad foods, and 

 acquaints them with all the devices and subterfuges practised 

 for eluding man and other enemies. But it is not long that 

 they are thus subservient to maternal wisdom and fore- 

 thought, for in fourteen days they are old enough to scratch 

 for a living, and to seek shelter and security from lawless- 

 ness and cruelty. Their menu consists of wheat, berries, 

 grasses, earth-worms, and all kinds of terrestrial insects. 



When summer is over, the different families of the same 

 neighborhood come together, unite in one large flock, and 

 travel over the country for food. The males emerge from 

 their meeting-places and join the moving army, and parents 

 and young have nothing to do but to feed vigorously and 

 grow fat. Late in October, or early in November, they 

 begin to attract the attention of gunners, and thousands are 

 killed for the market, where they are in eager demand by all 

 lovers of good living. 



