KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



95 



AFFECTION OF THE BLACKBIRD. 



As we are now wrtting the Natural 

 History of this bird, it will not be out of 

 place to record every pleasing trait in his 

 character that may offer. 



"We have long labored hard to prove, that 

 we ought all to take a lesson from the lower 

 world. In every action, they speak to us ; 

 their lives abound with hints that we 

 should do well to take. We will now dwell 

 only on the affection of the Blackbird for its 

 young. Does it "put them out to nurse? 1 ' 

 No ! Does it, as a favor, look at them now 

 and then, and rest satisfied that all is going 

 on well? No! Hearken, young and interest- 

 ing mothers ! Take a lesson from the Black- 

 bird's book : — 



The following account is given by Mr. Weir to 

 Mr. Macgillivray, respecting the number of times 

 in the clay which he watched a pair of Blackbirds 

 feed their young, four in number. At a quarter- 

 past three in the morning, they commenced ; from 

 that time until four o'clock, the male fed them 

 only once, and sang almost incessantly, whilst the 

 female fed them six times ; from four to five o'clock, 

 the male fed them six times, and the female three 

 times ; from five to six o'clock, the male fed them 

 four and the female five times ; from six to seven 

 o'clock, the male fed them three, and the female 

 five times ; and from seven to eight o'clock, the 

 male fed them three times. For the last four 

 hours he sang most delightfully, except when 

 he was feeding the young birds ; and as he had 

 induced one of them to fly out after him, Mr. Weir 

 had to replace it in the nest, which caused some 

 interruption to their feeding. From eight to nine 

 o'clock, the male fed them six, and the female 

 seven times ; and from nine to ten o'clock, the 

 male fed them four and the female three times ; 

 from ten to eleven o'clock, the male fed them three 

 and the female two times ; from eleven to twelve 

 o'clock, the male fed them two, and the female 

 three times ; from twelve to one o'clock, the male 

 fed them two, and the female four times. From two 

 to three o'clock, the female fed them twice ; and 

 from three to four o'clock, the male fed them three, 

 and the female four times. From four to five 

 o'clock, the male fed them three, and the female 

 four times ; from five to six o'clock, the female 

 fed them only twice ; and from six to seven 

 o'clock, she fed them three times. In the evening 

 the male was almost entirely engaged in singing, 

 and from seven to eight o'clock, fed them only 

 once, and the female six times ; and from eight 

 to twenty minutes before nine o'clock, when they 

 both ceased from their labors, the male fed them 

 once, and the female seven times : the male still 

 continued singing. Tims in the course of a single 

 day, the male fed the young forty-four times, 

 and the female sixty-nine times. 



While engaged in watching from his place of 

 concealment, this pair of birds, Mr. Weir observed 

 that before they fed their young, they always 

 alighted upon a tree, and looked around them for 

 a few seconds. Sometimes they brought sufficient 

 food for the whole of their brood one by one, and 

 at other times only enough for a single nestling. 



The young birds often trimmed their feathers, and 

 stretched out their wings. 



On a wren accidentally coming so near as to 

 detect the ambush, and giving a consequent note 

 of alarm, all the birds in the neighborhood flocked 

 around at once, to endeavor to discover the cause 

 of it ; and the Blackbirds hopped round and round, 

 and made every effort to penetrate the mystery, 

 but at length gave up the attempt. One of the 

 young birds having had the misfortune to be 

 choked, the hen bird, on discovering the danger, 

 set up a moan of distress. Her partner on hear- 

 ing it instantly came to her assistance, and both 

 made several attempts to dislodge the incubus, 

 but for a time they were unsuccessful. At last 

 the male bird most scientifically aided the process 

 of deglutition ; though only just in time, for the 

 young one was so much exhausted, that it remained 

 nearly three hours without moving, and with its 

 eyes shut. The cock bird having alighted on a 

 tree a few yards from the nest, poured forth a 

 volume of song expressive of joy at the happy re- 

 sult of his endeavors. 



With the note of alarm, Mr. Weir adds, which 

 any set up on the discovery of their enemies, all 

 the different species of the little birds seem to be 

 most instinctively acquainted ; for no sooner did a 

 beast or a bird of prey make its appearance, than 

 they seemed to be anxiously concerned about the 

 safety of their family. From tree to tree they 

 usually hopped, uttering their doleful lamentations. 

 At one time, the Blackbirds were in an unusual 

 state of excitement and terror — a prowling weasel 

 having made its appearance ; and while the dan- 

 ger threatened, the young birds, on their parents 

 announcing it, cowered down in the nest, and 

 appeared to be in great uneasiness. 



The above particulars are taken from the 

 Rev. 0. Morris's " History of British 

 Birds," Part 32, — a work which proceeds 

 so well, and whose plates are so nicely co- 

 lored, that no library can be complete with- 

 out it. The price renders it accessible to 

 the multitude. It is dedicated by permission, 

 to our little Queen — God bless her ! How 

 her tender heart must rejoice in the perusal 

 of such anecdotes as these ! 



By the way, the " History of British But- 

 terflies" and the " History of the Nests and 

 Eggs of British Birds ;" both by the Rev. 0. 

 Morris, and very beautifully illustrated ; pro- 

 gress right well. We have received Part 13 

 of the former, and Part 14 of the latter. 



TRUE LOVE. 



11 Hast thou not observed, Doris, that thy 

 future husband has lame feet ? " 



"Yes, papa," said she, " I have seen it ; but 

 then he speaks to me so kindly, and so piously, 

 that I seldom pay attention to his feet." 



11 Well, Doris ; but young women generally 

 look at a man's figure." 



"I, too, papa," washer answer; "but Wilhelm 

 pleases me just as he is. If he had straight feet, 

 he icould not be Wilhelm Stilling — and how could 

 I love him then? " 



