526 
BIRD-LIFE. 
us opportunity to experiment on it with different kinds of 
meat, which afforded us the results which we have already 
mentioned. 
By the end of May we obtained the old bird as a com¬ 
panion for the above ; the pinion of one of her wings had 
been shattered by a shot. This bird lay motionless on its 
uninjured side, and showed its discomfort by opening its 
beak and ruffling the neck-featliers, but did not give vent 
to a sound of any description. If anyone approached it 
would follow their movements with the eye, and also peck 
at them, keeping fast hold of whatever it could seize. In 
the cage it lay down silent, as before described. The 
young one eyed the new comer, from all sides, with 
curiosity, and sat for a quarter of an hour by her side 
without being noticed in any way by her. The next day 
the wounded bird rose to its feet; and on the third we 
turned both the birds loose in the courtyard, where the 
old one marched slowly up and down, with the long 
feathers on the legs sweeping the ground, and the tail 
raised, apparently troubling herself in no way about her 
surroundings. At first she only took a little water; in 
a few days, however, she devoured such meat as we threw 
her, though, like the young bird, she would only touch 
the flesh of mammals, and could never be induced to 
eat the flesh of birds, or swallow the smallest morsel 
of it. 
In a very short time the old bird became less refrac¬ 
tory : she chose a projection in the wall of her cage, upon 
which she would perch, taking not the slightest notice 
of anything which occurred around her. When brought 
down into the court she returned with all speed to the 
cage. After a few days my brother was able to stroke and 
caress her. 
