YOUNG BIRDS IN THE NURSERY 8i 



latter, whenever they get the chance, turn cannibal, and 

 gobble up such of the younger and defenceless members 

 of the community as have had the misfortune to come 

 later into the world ! This is the only instance known, 

 I believe, of nestlings devouring other nestUngs, and was 

 first discovered by Mr. Frank Chapman, to whom reference 

 has already been made in these pages. 



And now we must refer to two extremely interesting 

 facts in regard to drinking among nestlings. As a rule, so 

 far as is known, nestling birds do not drink : but Nature 

 is nothing if not contradictory, and accordingly she has 

 plai:ed those exceptions just where we should least expect 

 to find them — ^in certain desert-dwelling birds, where water 

 is conspicuous by its absence, and certain other ocean 

 dwellers, where all the water is salt ! However, these 

 apparently insuperable difficulties are overcome in both 

 -cases. The thirsty desert dwellers to which we have 

 referred are the sand-grouse, and water is conveyed to 

 them by their parents in a quite unexpected fashion. 

 The woodcock carry their young to and fro to feed, having 

 long legs and toes for the task of transportation. This 

 way out of the difficulty is denied the sand-grouse, for 

 its legs are extremely short, and its toes, at any rate in 

 one species, are more or less completely enclosed to form 

 a sort of foot-pad. So the sand-grouse bring the water 

 to their young. Often this necessitates a journey of 

 many miles. Never mind, the bird is equal to the 

 occasion. Having slaked its own thirst at the nearest 

 pool or stream, it proceeds to wallow therein till the 

 whole of the feathers of the breast and abdomen are 

 soaked. It then flies back to its chicks, which immediately 

 run up, and drawing the still wet feathers through their 

 beaks contrive to satisfy their thirst. 

 6 



