INTELLIGENCE IN BIRDS. 117 
below the house, and with outstretched necks answered 
back loud notes of satisfaction. Soon a white gander 
commenced dancing a lively jig, keeping good time to 
the music: for several minutes he kept up the perform- 
ance, to the great delight of the company. The experi- 
ment was tried several times during each day for a week 
or more, and the tones of the accordion never failed to 
set the old gander into a lively dance. Birds are the 
most generous of animals, often dividing their scanty 
substance with others in greater need. Some of the 
lazy Mexicans take advantage of this noble trait in the 
pelicans, to obtain their own food by a process more 
cruel than robbery. They maim some of these birds 
and tie them up to trees without food: hunger causes 
the poor animals to cry for assistance and their freed 
companions, far more human in nature than these Mexi- 
cans, Which seem to be only human in form, bring fish 
from the neighboring waters to relieve their suffering 
companions. The men lying in wait fall upon these 
new-comers and make them disgorge the fish, and with- 
otit mercy themselves again send the pelicans on their 
errands of mercy. 
Who has not seen the old chanticleer of the farmyard 
call about him his harem and their numerous progeny, 
and give them the last morsel of the food which he had 
found. What affection and solicitude nearly all birds 
show for their mates and young, often sacrificing life 
and liberty in their defense! 
_ Many of them chose their mates for life. Sorrow at 
the death of one often causes the death of the other. 
