They waited, but in vain. The lady 

 bug gave no sign of life. 



"Fm afraid she's really dead, daugh- 

 ter," said mother. 



But as she spoke the jewelled body 

 flashed with sudden movement. The 



shining wings were spread, and in the 

 twinkling of an eye the lady bug had 

 shot like an arrow into the friendly pro- 

 tection of the fig tree, and was lost 

 amid its greenness. 



Henrietta Lee Coulling. 



BIRDS AND THEIR YOUNG— A QUESTION. 



Those interested in theories of hered- 

 ity have noticed the recent revival of 

 the old question regarding acquired 

 characteristics, that is, whether or not 

 they are transmitted by inheritance. 

 Leaving the human side of the subject 

 untouched for the present, let us see 

 how it is with some of the birds, those 

 bright aerial creatures, which so cheer 

 and inspire us. 



"Best gems of nature's cabinet, 



With dews of tropic morning wet ; 



Beloved of children, bards and spring, 



O birds, yon perfect virtues bring; 



Your song, your forms, your rhythmic flight. 



Your manners for the heart's delight ; 



Nestle in hedge, or barn, or roof, 



Here weave your chamber weather proof. 



Forgive our harms, and condescend 



To man as to a lubber friend, 



And generous teach his awkward race 



Courage and probity and grace." 



, From boyhood I have been an observ- 

 ing frequenter of field and woods, care- 

 fully watching the habits of birds and 

 beasts and insects in connection with 

 other objects of nature, and have tried 

 to obtain at first hand, rather than from 

 books, as much knowledge as possible 

 of their differing peculiarities of move- 

 ment, language, song, habitation, migra- 

 tion and rearing of young. In one of 

 my rambles I sat down to rest in the 

 shade of a solitary tree in the open, and 

 soon, from peepings above my head, 

 realized that among its branches was a 

 nest of young birds, which I very soon 

 located. The constant peepings I knew 

 were cries for food, and I waited for 

 the mother bird to appear in order to 

 ascertain the kind of bird it was. When 

 it came I saw at once it was a cuckoo. 



Seeing me, instead of going to the nest 

 and feeding her brood, she sounded a 

 quick note of alarm and flew away. 

 Instantly the peeping stopped and not 

 another was heard during the twenty 

 minutes that I sat silent and motion- 

 less. Meanwhile the male bird came, 

 who saw me, like his mate, sounded a 

 note of danger and instead of approach- 

 ing the nest to feed the nestlings with 

 the food which he held in his bill flew 

 out of sight. Curiosity prompted me 

 to climb to the nest, and there I found 

 that the young birds were clothed with 

 pin feathers only, and could not be more 

 than a week old. They lay huddled 

 together, as still as death, with heads 

 down and eyes closed, in evident obe- 

 dience to the warning of their parent 

 birds, and did not stir while I was look- 

 ing at them. Descending, I remained 

 at the foot of the tree about half an 

 hour longer, watching for events from 

 above, but not another sound was heard, 

 and I believe those young birds would 

 have died of starvation without uttering 

 another peep, if I had not departed, and 

 their parents returned and informed 

 them that the danger had passed. 



Many similar bird incidents have come 

 under my observation, and also corre- 

 sponding ones among the four-footed 

 animals, and other watchful observers of 

 animal life have told me of many more. 

 It is well known to hunters and country 

 people that when the partridge with a 

 young brood hears the approach of 

 human footsteps, she warns her young 

 by a peculiar sound as she flies from 

 sight, and they instantly disappear, Ind- 



us 



