RAVENS. 
221 
to the nest, till a darker plumage had shown itself. 
And to this belief commentators suppose the Psalmist 
alludes, when he says, He giveth to the beast liis 
food , and to the young ravens ivhich cry (Psalm 
cxLvii. 9.) And again, in Job, Who provideth for 
the raven his food ? When his young ones cry unto 
God , they wander for lack of meat. (Job xxxviii. 41.) 
But we do not believe this want of feeling to be 
peculiar to Ravens ; on the contrary, in an aviary 
where several Canaries build annually, instances re- 
peatedly occur, of young birds falling out of the nest, 
when, if they are of very tender age, the old ones 
seem to show no uneasiness whatever ; hopping or 
flying over them with the greatest unconcern, though 
the poor naked birds may be struggling for life. 
We have yet, indeed, much to learn respecting 
the real extent and quality of the affection of animals 
for their young ; for in the case of Canaries, we have 
known, if wet or cold weather chanced to continue 
for a day or two, not only nests containing eggs, but 
others, with nearly full-fledged nestlings, requiring 
all a mother's care, to be at once abandoned, and 
left to perish by cold or hunger. 
On the 2nd of June, 1833, a Canary-bird, in an 
aviary, was unexpectedly drenched, having built her 
nest, during dry weather, in a spot exposed to rain, 
which fell in a heavy shower on that day. On the 
following day, she accordingly quitted her nest, and 
appeared so unwell that it was deemed expedient to 
remove her into a small cage, and place her in a 
warmer situation. But to our great surprise, a Gold- 
finch, which had been in confinement with the Canary- 
birds for three or four years, without paying any 
