A Pair of Unfortunate Bird Mothers. 223 



somewhat unnatural attitude, a little away. At the touch 

 she refused to fly off or stir ; and, no wonder, as she was 

 dead! — cold, stark, and stiff, with the eggs still un- 

 hatched under her. 



Now came the question. What had killed her too ? 

 Examining the body, I could find no wound, though there 

 were traces of scouring around the vent. But what 

 could have caused this ? And, if so conditioned, why 

 had she remained on the nest, seated upon her eggs — to 

 die? The only explanation I can think of is that my 

 servant, on the first occasion, replacing the cap of the 

 wooden casing, had pressed it down closer than it was 

 before, so narrowing the passage to the nest ; and the 

 bird, having squeezed herself in, was never able to get 

 out again. I had noticed that she seemed to have some 

 difficulty in effecting an entrance. The poor thing must 

 have been dead for many days, no doubt dying by inches; 

 a sad fate to reflect upon. But there is something even 

 sadder to come. My gardener had told me that he 

 several times saw the cock bird clinging to the head of 

 the wooden casing, by the entrance to the nest, and 

 tapping upon it with his beak ; as the man supposed, 

 bringing food to the hen inside, and so signalling to let 

 her know it was there. The fact had greatly interested 

 me ; but, alas ! I now knew that the tapping must have a 

 different and more painful interpretation — the male bird 

 knowing its mate, that should soon have become a 

 mother, imprisoned, hopelessly shut up, as it were, in a 

 living tomb ! 



