inference seems to have been made from a comparison of his book knowledge of Turner's oak leaves, with his personal observation of moss and hair.

It is no less an erroneous notion, that the redbreast, during the summer, flies from the habitations of man, which he has haunted during winter, nestling in wild and solitary places. That many of these birds may be found in woods and forests, we admit ; but we are equally certain that a great number do not go farther from their winter haunts than the nearest hedge-row. Even in the near vicinity of London, in Copenhagen fields, Chelsea, Battersea fields, Ken

as described by Bingley, that occurred in a pair of the Guinea parrot (Psittacus pullarius). "A male and female of this species were lodged together in a large square cage. The vessel which held their food was placed at the bottom. The male usually sat on the same perch with the female, and close beside her. Whenever one descended for food, the other always followed; and when their hunger was satisfied, they returned together to the highest perch of the cage. They passed four years together in this state of confinement; and from their mutual attentions and satisfaction, it was evident that a strong affection for each other had been excited. At the end of this period the female fell into a state of languor, which had every symptom of old age; her legs swelled, and knots appeared upon them, as if the disease had been of the nature of gout. It was no longer possible for her to descend and take her food as formerly; but the male assiduously brought it her, carrying it in his bill, and delivering it into hers. He continued to feed her in this manner, with the utmost vigilance, for four months. The infirmities of his mate, however, increased every day; and at length she became no longer able to sit upon the perch: she remained crouched at the bottom, and from time to time made a few useless efforts to regain the lower perch; while the male, who remained close by her, seconded these feeble attempts with all his power. Sometimes he seized with his bill the upper part of her wing, to try to draw her up to him; sometimes he took hold of her bill, and attempted to raise her up, repeating his efforts for that purpose several times. His countenance, his gestures, his continual solicitude, every thing, in short, indicated, in this affectionate bird, an ardent desire to aid the weakness of his companion, and to alleviate her sufferings. But the

scene became still more interesting when the female was at the point of expiring. Her unfortunate partner went round and round her without ceasing; he redoubled his assiduities and his tender cares; he attempted to open her bill, in order to give her nourishment; his emotion every instant increased; he went to her, and returned with the most agitated air, and with the utmost inquietude; at intervals he uttered the most plaintive cries; at other times, with his eyes fixed upon her, he preserved a sorrowful silence. His faithful companion at length expired: he languished from that time, and survived her only a few months*"

* Bingley, Anim. Biog. ii. 224.

CHAPTER V.

PECULIARITIES IN PAIRING.

THERE are some species of birds, among which the assistance of the male is less necessary during incubation, as well as in procuring food for the young, than among those whose habits have been described in the preceding chapter. In such species domestic attachment is much less binding, and in some instances can scarcely be said to exist. We have never observed cuckoos, for example, associating in pairs, though single birds may be seen in considerable numbers throughout the summer; and, among domestic fowls, the peacock is seldom seen in company with the peahen. The turkey-cock indeed is artificially brought to feed along with the hen; but in the case of the latter bird, this is contrary to what takes place in a wild state. As a contrast to what we are familiar with from observation, it may be interesting to give a sketch of the singular manners of the turkey, as it has been observed in its native woods, by Audubon, Charles Bonaparte, and the earlier travellers in America.

About the beginning of October, turkeys, young and old, move from their breeding districts towards the rich bottom lands near the Ohio and the Mississippi. The males (called gobblers by the Americans) associate and feed in companies of from ten to a hundred apart from the females, which advance sometimes singly, sometimes followed by their young, and sometimes in united families, forming a band of from seventy to eighty individuals. All these exhibit

a dread of the old cocks, and are constantly on the watch to avoid them; for though the young birds are now about two-thirds grown, the males seem already to regard them as rivals, and whenever they have an opportunity they will attack and often kill them by repeated blows on the head.

Towards the middle of February, or early in March, the turkeys begin to prepare for breeding, the females at first shunning the males, who eagerly pursue them and utter their peculiar gobbling call. At night, the two sexes roost apart, though usually at no consi derable distance. When a female chances to utter her call-note, all the males within hearing return a