FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN BIRDS. 
147 
chaps will eat are surprising, as they are unremittingly 
consuming from morning till night ; and this flycatcher 
seems to require a proportion of food equal to any bird, 
being in constant progress, capturing one moment, and 
resting the next. But fruit and insects are with us only 
for a short season ; and their privations, when these no 
longer afford a supply, indicate, that they possess the 
power of abstinence, as well as that of consumption. 
We observed this summer two common thrushes 
frequenting the shrubs on the green in our garden. 
From the slenderness of their forms, and the freshness 
of their plumage, we pronounced them to be birds of 
the preceding summer. There was an association and 
friendship between them, that called our attention to 
their actions : one of them seemed ailing, or feeble 
from some bodily accident ; for though it hopped about, 
yet it appeared unable to obtain sufficiency of food ; its 
companion, an active sprightly bird, would frequently 
bring it worms, or bruised snails, when they mutually 
partook of the banquet ; and the ailing bird would wait 
patiently, understand the actions, expect the assistance 
of the other, and advance from his asylum upon its 
approach. This procedure was continued for some days, 
but after a time we missed the fostered bird, which 
probably died, or by reason of its weakness met with 
some fatal accident. We have many relations of 
the natural affection of animals ; and whoever has at- 
tended to the actions of the various creatures we are 
accustomed to domesticate about us can probably add 
many other instances from their own observation. Ac- 
tions which are in any way analogous to the above, 
when they are performed by mankind, arise most com- 
monly from duty, affection, pity, interest, pride ; but we 
are not generally disposed to allow the inferior orders 
of creation the possession of any of these feelings, 
except perhaps the last : yet when we have so many 
instances of attachment existing between creatures 
similar and dissimilar in their natures, which are obvious 
to all, and where no interest can possibly arise as a 
motive ; when we mark the varieties of disposition 
which they manifest under uniform treatment, their 
