MALE BIRDS STAND TREAT 109 



kindly act is well known to the most ordinary 

 observer. It seems to be universal in the Pigeon 

 family, indeed ; but it certainly is not in the 

 poultry tribe ; the Guinea-fowl feeds his hen like 

 the common Cock, and so does the Satyr Tragopan 

 (Tragofan satyra) ; but the common Pheasant 

 and Peacock do not, nor do the Gold and Silver 

 Pheasants. Quails do it, both the Harlequin Quail 

 (Coturnix capensis) and the pigmy Painted Quail 

 (Excalfactoria sinensis) ; I have seen nothing 

 more quaintly appealing in bird life than the 

 action of a cock Harlequin Quail in one of the Zoo 

 aviaries, which came up to me and the keeper who 

 was showing me through, drawn up to his full height 

 and looking with such an obvious request that I 

 asked instinctively " What does he want ? " " Meal- 

 worms," said my companion, " but not for himself 

 — for the hen," and sure enough he honestly gave 

 her every one he received. 



Feeding the hen is, I believe, as universal among 

 Parrots as among Pigeons ; but it certainly is not 

 so among Finches — although Goldfinches and Lin- 

 nets and many others do it ; Sparrows certainly do 

 not, nor, I believe, do Chaffinches. But it is 

 difficult to prove a negative, and the action is 

 often confined to birds in the height of breeding 

 condition, of which it is among fanciers the well- 

 known index, as has been stated above. 



Among birds of prey I have never seen a case, 

 although Kites (Milvus govinda) were so common 

 about Calcutta, and wife-feeding by their neigh- 



