AND DIGRESSIONS 125 



the bread ration, were not present at feeding-time, and 

 at first we fancied that they had somehow managed 

 to escape. It turned out, however, that only the 

 female had disappeared — for which, perhaps, cats were 

 responsible — and that the male was moping among 

 the reeds. And there for many days he continued to 

 pine, letting the feeding-hour pass unnoticed, though in 

 time he completely recovered. There is an interesting 

 sequel to this case. Some weeks afterwards a new 

 mate was provided for him, whose acquaintance he 

 was by no means anxious to make, although in time 

 the pair became friendly. The new female was not 

 pinioned, but only had her wings cut. When her 

 new quills were grown she — probably having recollec- 

 tions of her own to influence her — flev/ away, and the 

 old male, who had so deeply mourned his first mate, 

 was not in the least upset by her departure. 



If monogamous birds are so often patterns of 

 conjugal fidelity and devotion, they can also be guilty 

 of a foolish inconstancy. The following case illustrates 

 both sides of the question in a very curious way. 

 Among our cage-birds is a very handsome little male 

 avadavat of the common kind {Sporceginthiis aniandava), 

 who wooed and won a mate of his own species. For 

 more than a year the pair lived happily together, 

 spending most of their time in making nests and 

 vainly endeavouring to hatch-out eggs. But when 

 some female orange-breasted wax- bills (Sporceginthus 



