92 THE PARROT. 



forts for that purpose several times. His countenance? 

 his actions, and his continued anxiety, showed in this 

 affectionate bird a strong desire to assist the weakness 

 of his companion, and to soften her sufferings. 



But the scene became still more interesting, and 

 touching, when the female was at the point of death. 

 Her unfortunate partner went round, and round her, 

 without stopping ; he increased his attentions, and his 

 tender cares as her weakness increased ; he tried to 

 open her bill to give her food, when she no longer had 

 power to open it herself ; his grief seemed to increase 

 every moment ; he would go to her, and return again, 

 without doing airy thing, because he knew not what to 

 do : now and then he uttered the most pitiful cries, 

 and at other times he stood with his eyes fixed on her 

 in sorrowful silence. 



At last the poor bird breathed its last breath ; and 

 from that time he became feeble, and moaning his soli- 

 tary state, he languished a few months, and then died 

 also. 



Here we see an example of affection in a pair of 

 little birds, well worthy of our imitation. In this world 

 of sickness and trouble, there is not a duty we owe 

 our fellow creatures more obvious, than that of assist- 

 ing those who cannot help themselves. Nor is it to 

 our particular friends only, that we owe this duty ; for 

 Christ says, " if ye love them which love you, what 

 reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?** 

 This shows that we are not to expect any reward for 

 loving and helping our friends, and those who love us ; 

 on the contrary, it is wicked and unfeeling not to do 

 so. Even the birds of the air, as we see by the above 



