404 THE DESCENT OP MAN. 



themselves; and these offer at first sight the most perplexing 

 cases. But birds of the same sex, although of course not truly- 

 paired, sometimes live in pairs or in small parties, as is known to 

 be the case with pigeons and partridges. Birds also sometimes 

 live in triplets, as has been observed with starlings, carrion-crows, 

 parrots and partridges. With partridges two females have been 

 known to live with one male, and two males with one female. In 

 all such cases it is probable that the union would be easily broken; 

 and one of the three would readily pair with a widow or widower. 

 The males of certain birds may occasionally be heard pouring forth 

 their love-song long after the proper time, showing that they 

 have either lost or never gained a mate. Death from accident 

 or disease of one of a pair, would leave the other free and single; 

 and there is reason to believe that female birds during the 

 breeding-season are especially liable to premature death. Again, 

 birds which have had their nests destroyed, or barren pairs, or re- 

 tarded individuals, would easily be induced to desert their mates, 

 and would probably be glad to take what share they could of the 

 pleasures and duties of rearing offspring although not their own.' 

 Such contingencies as these probably explain most of the fore- 

 going cases.' Nevertheless, it is a strange fact that within the 

 same district, during the height of the breeding-season, there 

 should be so many males and females always ready to repair the 

 loss of a mated bird. Why do not such spare birds immediately 

 pair together? Have we not some reason to suspect, and the sus- 

 picion has occurred to Mr. Jenner Weir, that as the courtship of 



' See White ('Nat. Hist, of Selborne,' 1S25, vol. 1. p. 140) on the exist- 

 ence, early in the season, of small coveys of male partridges, of whicJi 

 fact I have heard other instances. See Jenner, on the retarded state 

 of the generative organs in certain birds, in 'Phil. Transact.' 1824. In 

 regard to birds living in triplets, I owe to Mr. Jenner Weir the cases 

 of the starlings and parrots, and to Mr. Fox, of partridges: on car- 

 rion-crows, see the 'Field,' 1868, p. 415. On various male birds singing 

 after the proper period, see Rev. L. Jenyns, 'Observations in Natural 

 History,' 1846, p. 87. 



8 The following case has been given ('The Times," Aug. 6th, 1868) by 

 the Rev. F. O. Morris, on the authority of the Hon. and Rev. O. W. 

 Forester. "The gamekeeper here found a, hawk's nest this year, with 

 "five young ones on it. He took four and killed them, but left one 

 "with its wings clipped as a decoy to destroy the old ones by. They 

 "were both shot next day, in the act of feeding the young one, and 

 "the keeper thought it was done with. The next day he came again 

 "and found two other charitable hawks, who had come with an adopted 

 "feeling to succor the orphan. These two he killed, and then left the 

 "nest. On returning afterwards he found two more charitable in- 

 "dividuals on the same errand of mercy. One of these he killed; the 

 "other he also shot, but could not find. No more came on the like 

 "fruitless errand." 



