Chap. XIV. 
UNPAIRED BIRDS. 
105 
cuius), were killed one after the other whilst attending 
the same nest ; two of these were in mature plumage, 
and the third in the plumage of the previous year. 
Even with the rare golden eagle {Aquila chrysaetos), 
Mr. Birkbeck was assured by a trustworthy gamekeeper 
in Scotland, that if one is killed, another is soon found. 
So with the white owl {Strix jiammea), it has been 
observed that the survivor readily found a mate, and 
the mischief went on.” 
White of Selborne, who gives the case of the owl, 
adds that he knew a man, who from believing that 
partridges when paired were disturbed by the males 
fighting, used to shoot them ; and though he had 
widowed the same female several times she was always 
soon provided with a fresh partner. This same natu- 
ralist ordered the sparrows, which deprived the house- 
martins of their nests, to be shot : but the one which 
was left, be it cock or hen, presently procured a mate, 
and so for several times following,” I could add ana- 
logous cases relating to the chaffinch, nightingale, and 
redstart. With respect to the latter bird {Phoenicura 
ruiicilld), the writer remarks that it was by no means 
common in the neighbourhood, and he expresses much 
surprise how the sitting female could so soon give effec- 
tual notice that she was a widow. Mr. Jenner Weir has 
mentioned to me a nearly similar case : at Blackheath 
he never sees or hears the note of the wild bullfinch, yet 
when one of his caged males has died, a wild one in the 
course of a few days has generally come and perched 
near the widowed female, whose call-note is far from 
loud. I will give only one other fact, on the authority 
of this same observer ; one of a pair of starlings {Sturnus 
vulgaris) was shot in the morning ; by noon a new mate 
was found; this was again shot, but before night the 
pair was complete ; so that the disconsolate widow or 
