The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-25
George sand ON Birds.

of George Sand, translated for the Chicago Pos
We md the following pleasant chapter sbou
The bird, maintain, is q superior being 4
creation. Its organism il admirable. Its win
places it materially above man, and creates
vital power for II, which our genius has not We
acquired. Its beak and its feet possess remark
able cunning. Ii has instincts of conjugsl low
and domestic foresight and industry. Its nest is
master piece of skill, solicitude and delicat,
luxury: II is the principal species in which th,
male aids the female IN family cares, and in whict
the father Is occupied, like man, in CONSTRUCTING
the habitation and IN protecting and nurishing the
children. The bird Is singer, 1t is beautiful, Il
has grace, suppleness, vivacty, attachment
morality, and II Is certainly wrong TO make it the
type OF Inconsistency, as is often DONE In 40 far
as instinct of fidelity is bestowed upon beasts. h
is the most faithful Of animals. Ia the canine
race, so Wanted, the female alone has love for
her progeny, which renders her superior to the
male; Among birds, both sexes, endowed with
equal virtues, offer an example of the ideal in
marriage. Let rs not speak lightly then of birds.
They are worth much to us-like musicians and
poets, they are naturally better gifted than we.
The man. bird IL the artist. Z ~ ~, I'D
Since am upon the chapter of birds land why
should not exhaust it, as am allowed for once
tntermnable digressions y will relate an Incl.
dent Of which Twas Witness and which wished
to commpnicste 70 Button, that sweet poet of
nests and of different varieties one with q vel.
low breast and the other with gray corssge.
The yellow breast, called Jonquille, was Q fort.
night older than the gray breast, named Agathe.
A fortnight TO sparrow 1.-THE sparrow is the most
intelligent and precocious Of our little BIRDS is
equivalent TO ten years to young person. JON
guile was very pretty little lass. thin and lightly
feathered, and able to fly only from one branch 20
another, not even eating without help; for birds
reared BY man develop more slowly than those
reared in wild state. The mother sparrows are
much more severe than we, and Jonquille would
have eaten alone fortnight sooner If I had had
wisdom TO force her to 1t, by leaving her to her.
self and resisting her opportunities Agsthe was
an insufierabe little thing. She would only fdget,
cry, rumple her growing feathers and torment
Jonquille, who was beginning to reflect aud
assume probIematical attitude, one foot drawn
up under the down of her robe, her head buried
in her shoulders and eyes half closed. =
However, she was still very little creature,
very greedy, and exerted herself TO fly to me to
eat to safety, whenever had the imprudence to
look at her. 40 rl..s. r.,
One day was writing know not what romance.
which excited me somewhat. l had placed at
come distance the green branch upon which nv
pupils perched and dwelt in harmony. Agathe,
still half naked, had pressed up and covered under
Jonquilles wing, who assumed the motherly part
with generous ccmplacency. They both kept still
for half hour, Of which awaited myself to write
for 1t was rare that they allowed me 30 much lei
sure In day. M .r .
ing upon chair, then on my table, came and
enaced the last word on the end of my pen, while
Agathe. not daring TO leave the bough, beat her
wings and stretched out her beak toward me, dis
tended v it'll desperate cries. -,... ... =
was in the midst of my denouerlenf and for
the first time was vexed with JonquilIe. re.
marked TO her that she was old enough to eat
alone; that there was excellent paste in pretty
little saucer under her BILL and that had resolved
no longer to shut my eyes to her laziness. JON
guile, slightly piqued and stubborn, began to
pout and retreat TO her perch, but Agathe did not
thus resign herself, and turning toward her, de-
manded something TO eat with amazing per-
sistency. Undoubtedly she dscoursed to her most
eloquenty; or, If she did not understand how to
express herself fully, she threw accents into her
voice that would rend feeling heart. l. a bar.
barian, looked and listened without moving.
studying JoDquille's very evident emotion, who
seemed TO hesitate and undergo most extrsordi'
nary internal combat.
At last she arms herself with resolution flies
with one spring to the saucer, cries q moment
hoping that the food will come of itself to her
bill, then makes up her mind and peeks into the
paste. But oh, miracle of tenderness she does
not think of appeasing her own hunger. She
fills her bill, returns TO the branch. and feeds
Agaihe with as much skill and nicely as IL she
were already q mother. .
From that moment Agathe and Jonquille leased
me no more, and the little one was nourished by
the elder, who took better care of her than l. for
she made her clean, lustrous, fat and able to take
care OF herself good deal sooner than could
have done. Thus this poor little thing had made
40 adopted daughter of her companion. She,
who was still child, and had learned to feed her.
self only by being driven and overcome by sem
timent OF maternal charity towards her companion.
month later, Jonquille and Agathe, ever in.
separable, although of the same sex and of differ
ent species, lived In perfect freedom among the
large trees in my garden. They did not wander
far from the house, but established their domicn
from preference IN the summit OF great fir-tree.
They we're slender, sleek and glossy. Every day
as II was fine weather and we ate in the open air,
they came down with 4uttering wings upon our
table, behaving among US like pleasant guests,
now upon one shoulder. now flying befsre the do
the plate before we did.
Despite their confidence in us all, they suffered
themselves to be captured and held only by me,
and at any moment during the day, they would
descend from the top of their tree at my call,
which they well knew, and never mistook for that
of any other person. 1t was q great surprise to
one OF my friends who had come from Paris to |
hear me call birds hidden In the high branches.
and and to see them Immediately approach. I had
had not witnessed their training, he believed for
moment In some witchcraft. .....
once owned a red throat which for intelligence |
and memory. was " nderful being. A royal |
kite, which was savage beast to everybody else,
lived with me In such intimate relations that It |
would perch on the edge of my sons cradle, and |
with its great bill, cutting like razor, would re.
move delicately and with tender, loving cry the |
flies which rested upon the chd's face. Ii was so
This gentleman possessed such strength and will, |
however, that he few away one day after having |
overturned and broken an enormous cage In which |
he had been placed because he had become dan.
gerous to persons who displeased him. There was
no chain whose rings he would not quickly sever
and the largest dogs had an ungovernable fear of |
him. 1EIT II
cannot finish the history of the birds whom I |
have had for friends and companions. At Venice,
lived fete.d-tete with starting full Of charms,
which was drowned In the canal, to my great de-
spair and afterwards with q thrush which feft
here, not separating from il without sorrow. We
netlans possess an unusual faculty for training
birds, and there was on the corner Of the street,
young boy who worked wonders In this respect.
One day he ventured in . lottery. and gained
Anow not how many sequins. he ate them the
,ame day In feast he gave to his ragged friends.
Then. the next day he came back and sat down in
his corner, upon the steps Of Q wharf, with his
,sges full OF magpies and ssarlngs, which he sold
'eady trained TO the passers by, and with whom
he talked lovingly from morning till night. He
rad no sorrow. no regret for having allow we'd his
money TO be eaten by his friends. He had dwelt
oo long with birds not to be an srtist. That day
he sold me my gentle thrush for five censs. To
buy for five cents beautiful, kind, gay, educated
companion, who needs only to live one day with
you to love you all its life, is truly good bar.
gain All, the birds how little they are respected,