276 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



moods nor vexatious humours, neither sulking nor anger, neither 

 scolding nor upbraiding, neither displeasure nor discontent nothing 

 but love, tenderness, and devotion, while the male thinks of nothing 

 but his happiness in his newly-acquired treasure, and has no desire 

 but to retain it. While he sometimes arranges or decides for her, 

 he yields to the wishes of his mate; when she rises, he, too, leaves 

 his perch; when she wanders abroad, he follows her; when she 

 returns, he also comes back to the home of his youth. Little 

 wonder that the wedlock of birds is happy and blameless. If the 

 birds united for life grow old themselves, their love does not grow 

 old with them, but remains ever young; and every spring-time 

 fresh oil is poured upon the flame; their mutual tenderness does not 

 diminish during the longest wedded life. Both mates faithfully 

 take their share of the domestic cares at the time of nest-building, 

 hatching the eggs, and bringing up the young. The male devotedly 

 assists the female in all the labours required by their brood; he 

 defends her courageously, and will unhesitatingly rush into obvious 

 danger, even to death, to rescue her. In a word, from the beginning 

 of their union they share each other's joys and sorrows, and, except 

 in unusual circumstances, this intimate bond lasts throughout life. 



There is no lack of direct evidence in proof of this. Keen-eyed 

 naturalists, who have observed certain birds for many successive 

 years, and have at length come to know them so well that they 

 could not confuse them with others of the same species, have given 

 us their guarantee for the birds' devotion, and all of us who have 

 given special attention to the birds which have come under our 

 notice must be led to the same conclusion. A pair of storks on the 

 roof of a house give the owner so many opportunities for observing 

 them and distinguishing them from other storks that error is almost 

 out of the question; and whoever watches his storks will find that 

 the same pair occupy the nest every year as long as both live. And 

 every naturalist or sportsman, who carefully notes wandering bird- 

 pairs, or shoots them if the differences of sex are not readily dis- 

 tinguishable, will find that they are really male and female. In the 

 course of my travels in Africa I often saw pairs of migrating birds 

 which there, too, lived in the close fellowship so characteristic of 



