J.S. Costello

“ The other fledgling was growing apace, and its permanent feathers were now beginning to appear. It could stand erect and move about, though in a languid way, in the nest. The male bird continued keeping his accustomed watch on the terrace, while the female devoted her attention towards rearing the young, and bringing in the daily supply of food. ”

“ It had the usual amount of downy feathers, of an ashy hue, distributed over the body. The beak was very prominent, exhibiting markedly the characteristic curve of its species. When any kind of noise was made within its hearing it would feebly flutter its tiny wings, and behave as do young birds when a morsel is offered to them. The mother-bird was generally away in the mornings in search of food—a fact I knew from the circumstance that upon its return I invariably found bits of bone and other offal lying near the nest. ”

“ This bird was smaller than its companion, which was all the difference that could be traced, and it appeared that they did not show nearly so much vitality as the young of other birds do directly after they have emerged from their eggs. ”