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BIRD-LIFE. 
The naturalist Faber relates the following anecdote in 
his description of the birds of Iceland. He once shot a 
female Grebe, whose companion showed the greatest 
concern at her loss, and sought to resuscitate her by 
striking the dead body with his beak, showing his 
sorrow in every possible manner. 
From these different anecdotes we may well assume 
that the sorrow of the male for his departed mate is 
greater than that of the female under a similar bereave¬ 
ment. If we even allow that the male has just cause to 
mourn what to him is an almost irreparable loss, one 
possibly not to be replaced for a whole year, yet we can 
scarcely deny that he is possessed of a deeper sense 
of feeling than the female in these matters. The males, 
however, have their weaknesses as well. Though the 
female does not show such grief at the loss of her 
partner, and soon transfers her affections to another 
mate, still, during the whole of their married life, she is 
ever true to her lord and master; there is no “ ami de la 
maison;” she does not ogle other males; and, in short, 
behaves with all modesty and propriety. I used to have 
the same high opinion of the males, until the Spaniards 
assured me that their fidelity to their female companions 
was not always the most immaculate. It is true, that as 
yet we have only observed instances of infidelity in one 
species—the Redlegged Partridge. This bird has, hitherto, 
always been regarded as a pattern of good behaviour, but 
what has once taken place may, of course, occur again. 
The Spaniards have a saying that, by the feast of the 
holy St. Antonio, which, if I am not mistaken, falls 
about the middle of January, each male red-leg has 
found his mate, and that the pair keep company in 
the most respectable manner from that time forth. 
