[150] Quoted by Mr. T. W. Wood in the ‘Student,’ April, 1870, p. 125.
[151] Gould, ‘Handbook of Birds of Australia,’ vol. i. p. 300, 308, 448, 451. On the ptarmigan, above alluded to, see Lloyd, ibid. p. 129.
[152] On magpies, Jenner, in ‘Phil. Transact.’ 1824, p. 21. Macgillivray, 'Hist. British Birds,’ vol. i. p. 570. Thompson, in ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.’ vol. viii. 1842, p. 494.
[153] On the peregrine falcon see Thompson, ‘Nat. Hist. of Ireland: Birds,’ vol. i. 1849, p. 39. On owls, sparrows, and partridges, see White, 'Nat. Hist. of Selborne,’ edit. of 1825, vol. i. p. 139. On the Phœnicura, see Loudon’s ‘Mag. of Nat. Hist.’ vol. vii. 1834, p. 245. Brehm, 'Thierleben,’ B. iv. s. 991) also alludes to cases of birds thrice mated during same day.
[154] See White (‘Nat. Hist. of Selborne,’ 1825, vol. i. p. 140) on the existence, early in the season, of small coveys of male partridges, of which fact I have heard other instances. See Jenner, on the retarded state of the generative organs in certain birds, in ‘Phil. Transact.’ 1824. In regard to birds living in triplets, I owe to Mr. Jenner Weir the cases of the starling and parrots, and to Mr. Fox, of partridges; on carrion-crows, see the ‘Field,’ 1868, p. 415. On various male birds singing after the proper period, see Rev. L. Jenyns, ‘Observations in Natural History,’ 1846, p. 87.
[155] The following case has been given (‘The Times,’ Aug. 6th, 1868) by the Rev. F. O. Morris, on the authority of the Hon. and Rev. O. W. Forester. “The gamekeeper here found a hawk’s nest this year, with five young ones in it. He took four and killed them, but left one with its wings clipped as a decoy to destroy the old ones by. They were both shot next day, in the act of feeding the young one, and the keeper thought it was done with. The next day he came again and found two other charitable hawks, who had come with an adopted feeling to succour the orphan. These two he killed, and then left the nest. On returning afterwards he found two more charitable individuals on the same errand of mercy. One of these he killed; the other he also shot, but could not find. No more came on the like fruitless errand.”
[156] For instance, Mr. Yarrell states (‘Hist. British Birds,’ vol. iii. 1845, p. 585) that a gull was not able to swallow a small bird which had been given to it. The gull “paused for a moment, and then, as if suddenly recollecting himself, ran off at full speed to a pan of water, shook the bird about in it until well soaked, and immediately gulped it down. Since that time he invariably has had recourse to the same expedient in similar cases.”
[157] ‘A Tour in Sutherlandshire,’ vol. i. 1849, p. 185.
[158] ‘Acclimatization of Parrots,’ by C. Buxton, M.P. ‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.’ Nov. 1868, p. 381.
[159] ‘The Zoologist,’ 1847-1848, p. 1602.