YOUNG BIRDS IN THE NURSERY 59 



she enlarged the hole . . . and then contentedly settled 

 down, purring and jerking her tail all the time." After 

 an hour's vigil, waiting for the next step, the bird was 

 aroused by the approach of a keeper, and bolted. Miss 

 Turner then sent the keeper to examine the eggs and 

 report progress. Two of the young were out, and he 

 removed the broken shells. " Then the excitement began. 

 The female returned, stood on tiptoe, peeped into the 

 nest, and quick as thought seized a youngster by the 

 neck and carried him off. So rapid was the manoeuvre 

 that I had barely time to secure my picture. . . . No 

 sooner had I changed my plate than she was back again, 

 and this time seized the second unfortunate and be- 

 draggled-looking chick by the head, and whisked him 

 off. She then returned for the third, not yet out of the 

 shell, and seizing him by the shoulder removed him, shell 

 and aU, and the fourth also in like manner. There re- 

 mained only one addled egg, but though this formed 

 a very difficult task, after several unsuccessful efforts 

 she succeeded in getting a firm grasp of it and disappeared, 

 . . . After this the bird returned twice and just peeped 

 into the nest, and, thus apparently satisfied as to its 

 emptiness, we saw her no more." 



Evidently the stimulus to this most extraordinary 

 conduct was the removal of the empty shells, this mys- 

 terious and uncanny disappearance arousing the direst 

 alarm for the safety of her brood. Nestlings, as we have 

 already remarked, on hearing the alarm-note of the parents, 

 will flee, or hide, according to their wont. But in some 

 cases, if taken up in the hand they will even feign death. 

 Birds so unlike as young Norfolk plovers and young 

 ospreys will do this : hanging limp, with eyes closed, 

 allowing themselves to be turned about without giving 



