462 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



intervals. Judging, however, from the fact that it occupied 

 itself all day in sheltering the fledglings in the nest, I am 

 inclined to the belief that the mornings were generally selected 

 by the mother as the feeding-time, and sometimes, though 

 not often, during the afternoon. Now and again it was my 

 custom to place a piece of meat on the window-sill, which the 

 parent bird would carry to its nest, and make a meal of, not for- 

 getting its progeny. In order to find out how it would behave 

 when subject to terrorism while in its nest, I attempted on one 

 or two occasions to frighten it with a stick, but, nothing daunted, 

 it immediately assumed a threatening attitude, and commenced 

 a series of assaults on the offensive object with a ferocity 

 born of an instinctive resolve to defend the little brood and. 

 itself to the utmost. If I persisted in my efforts at intimidation* 

 it would fly away, but only to return immediately and renew its 

 formidable defence. On the withdrawal of the stick it would 

 resume its peaceful avocation in the nest. 



On the 21st February I found the younger fledgling dead in 

 the nest. It was quite flattened out, a circumstance indicating 

 that the mother must either have trampled it to death by 

 accident, or sat upon it too heavily. The carcase was intact, 

 but on the fourth day after the occurrence there was nothing 

 left but a few fragments scattered about ; the mother, appa- 

 rently knowing that the bird was dead, had made a meal of it. 



The nest itself now was more or less a mass of bones, causing 

 it to emit a most obnoxious smell, and this offal doubtless formed 

 the daily collection of food. 



The other fledgling was growing apace, and its permanent 

 feathers were now beginning to appear. It could stand erect 

 and move about, though in a languid way, in the nest. The 

 male bird continued keeping his accustomed watch on the terrace, 

 while the female devoted her attention towards rearing the young, 

 and bringing in the daily supply of food. I was particularly 

 struck with this division and assignment of duties, conforming 

 doubtless with some hidden rule which finds its analogy in the 

 sphere of human relations. 



The development of the young bird was gradual. As the 

 days succeeded each other, and it became stronger and larger in 

 stature, it would walk along the narrow edge of wall, ever and 



