BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
221 
So closely attached to home is the female, that she will not leave it 
unless in j)eril. The apj)roach of human footsteps is unheeded, where no 
danger is to be apprehended. Its discovery by man is not considered as 
sufficient cause for desertion, but she is known to forsake it when the egas 
have been broken. In such cases another nest is prepared, but otherwise 
only one brood is annually raised. The most friendly feelings are known 
to exist among the females during the breeding-season. Several hens have 
been known to deposit their eggs in the same nest, and” rear their broods 
together. Audubon once met with forty-two eggs in a single nest, the 
labors of three females, one of whom being always on guard. When 
the eggs are nearly hatched, the female remains a very vigilant 
watcher, and will leave the nest under no circumstances. In short, she 
has often permitted herself to be captured rather than endanger her treas- 
ures. Weak, delicate creatures as the young are, it is doubtful that they 
could extricate themselves from their calcareous coverings, wmre it not for 
the timely efforts of the j^arent. Not only in this manner does she show 
her love, hut also by fondling and drying them, and assisting them to 
leave the nest. Her cares are now quite manifold. She must needs lead 
them into suitable feeding pastures, teach them to distinguish good from 
bad food, and protect them from enemies. Besides, she is careful to keep 
them from getting wet, which is detrimental to their early lives. At the 
age of two weeks, they follow the mother with facility, roost uj)on the 
same bough with her at night, and seek their food in the daytime. Their 
diet at first consists of small berries of diffei’ent kinds, and insects. To 
this somewhat restricted bill of fare, grass, corn, seeds, fruit, beetles, tad- 
poles and lizards are added, as they weekly mature. The dry leaves of 
the woods are turned over with their feet, for they are somewhat rasorial 
in their habits. Like their parents, the young are able to go for several 
days without food, which is occasionally the case after a heavy fall of 
snow. At such times, in the unsettled parts of our country, both young 
and old associate with domesticated birds, when quarrels often ensue, which 
chiefly result in favor of the former. Attempts to tame these birds have 
been made, but with only partial success. Under confinement birds are 
