New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-24
WILD NATURE.
SOME FRIENDSHIPS WITH BIRDS.
From The Saturday Review.

SOME FRIENDSHIPS WITH BIRDS.
From The Saturday Review.
In the graceful dedication Of this volume to Sir
James Page the author cOniesses that her book WouIu
scarcely have been written but for the cncouaeement
Of your sympathy and the stimulus OF what you nave we
read the pages inspired, We gradually form an ldc
S Ed1 1e a a t hSr m o the study
OF nature, ana sustained through long and tedious
Periods OF Ill health by the keen yYe ana c W"a S
kindness has peculiar value. winch VIII oohnnenu
forms OF animal life. We lis record OF obscrNh
tons made first hand, and IN tat extreme patience
which knows no tedium The incidents recorded n,G
not sensational but they are singuaily fresh, anu
VIC have met with no recent book oil popular natural
history which bears upon II 80 complete Stanp , Ti
told having herself. aud even In thelr
minute features they display the originality oil her o.
We told the titlepagc that Nj, Brightwein o Is
vice president Of that piaseworthy DCiS 20 WIZ
efforts we have 50 often and warmly gwen our
tribute-the selbOrIe society. Her attituHe tp"aL"
animated nature IS evidently humane and phllo-
sophoal She dcprecatcs the notion that harmless
forms are unfamiliar She tells u that She had ia her
she recalls with gratitude the action Of relative VINO
insisted on making the child appreciate the genuine
beauty Of II frog. she look at the beahtl'
full gold circle round it, eyes its curious webbed feet
It's eaPng power arising iron e io"s " onr and
flexible that II folded back in its mouth aud ho" hc
ants one BY one as they came ont" with this the
chllds fears vanished, and healthy curiosity tooh
their place.
Ms. Brlghtwen give, as her eSPerlence that the
most satisfactory aud delightful OF all pets are birds
which one has reared from the nest Iicf ON l"upt
ed. children. fed and educated into leathcNei ma.
the history of two Sic5c>site sarGss. srecnlinch
Of the most rTepressibc and cutcrpr.ihe chat
actcr' four wa dIH t0 ana taot th~ Sarnr
Dick" and Richard the Necord. during tEeT i'Ii,Nc
foster mother Richard the second Who drowned
At last in an aquarium victim to HI, Unsuitable love
panlons have read about. absolutely fearless.
full Of freaks and impudcncc. "a prodigal son WHO
mother by his frvolty and imprudcncc, ana VINO
paid all these dclt, in The coin Of most charming
was so copioIs and violent thai the whOc household
were deuecd by it. and The housemaidS lnurmnrrd
thought struck hi, mistress that he might probably
ba,hc in the Conservatory. where theN was poo,
. 9, pGo', pII u Nav ri "p' his ~ honldcr
:. lie was perfectly enchanted. and nutercd. turned
about and fri-hcd like a bird possessed ~ ne Dc
cover down. and lie with his wing, expanded and bcaK
open. receiving charse upon GaEe OF ws'GT t.!' G9
on his island til he recovered himself. and then would
go back and place himself ready for for, rSnc% %ad
been trying 10 drown him. ! conld not have done
GF n III ne "h he Ws mn s and AL
ready in minute
The wild ducks were very waywari and intractab,
pets extremely disobedcn 10 the respectable old hon
under whose charge they were placed. 1hey got into
the habit of disappearing every afternoon. as sud
denly and completely a, II the' had SUNK ihto me
ground returning In due time. IN discreet Indian file.
10 lie down ia their coop. MrN. Erishiwen's curiosity
10 know what brcamc ui them w. greatly excited "ih
al last she discovered them Oh the surface Of que.
pond at a considerable di,tancr from ne house A..
There found my Ntilc friends ~ mSh gee; dnIl
ing over the surface OF The water. spla hing dNnS
sending up showers Of sp'a> ii"m iflr wing. ana
going "A, they we're possessed. 'ainh l." l''m'
and IN a moment thcy quictrd down. and behaved cN
actly IS children would hayc done when @9ughi
tripping they came out OF the water ana i9lf",u
ne the meeke, aud most pcnitcnt manner back t.
their coop under the deodar a.,
would store water hl- betk. and suddenly squirt il.
in the most ungcntIemanLc m'hner' IN me ia,'s OF
persons whom he d-llhcd lat 10 Mr. bugh"cn " he
va, not ,o-who could De 90 - her ~ the "oid. 81
Virrinu, When sic approached nm DE- fastened 10
ds pcnsc the hO,piidli"- II hl, cage 100 tnG upon W
the most -ucculcnt I'd bit lee coud hnd IN his io'a
trough.
\ kerry Interesting chapter in this volume de.crboo
an in rmacy Of fourteen years VITA scarlet \ir-iu'n
nightingale TN, bird. in hi. s"l'tude. grew 10 100"
mon his mi,tr..s Il, q mate and every spring en-
degvorcd ~ persuade ncr T. JON MN ~ nuiuihe
nest Of tUies ~ = mug :cticii ir.hu "hr %. V'
ON these occasion, hc would 80 through inc Who'
farce Of suppo-.ns Mr. Bn;lt"cn u" require VI, a.,
-iduou. attentions. Woud hasten {" her hp' WIN
ny or piece OF ,urti, and, Nhru hc '"t'''N'"
her state Of hcilit H. be very delicate III,
eater M"' in H. val. and clirp an.
cc-iply until b., human mate had Pretended - t''''
"a little of thi- dainty Never until slr mao do.g 80
would ho swallow atom hIm elf mt - soon 81
ever she Rad made brctc" lie would enjoy NJ M
OF meat and goLbc II al mp with eHso lie 'ceh', |"
hov,. Lecp the most Ingenious If al pets Whp-c 't'
Mr.. BIight"en as sindcl ana inc drstec o. r"o,''
gcnce which he showed affords her -Omr OF icr MOO
curou, and valuable pages To ltiui,i.i' u'' ,laP
t.r dedicated 10 Z.c. Inc Huthai'h. VIII pos go
Interest We do not think thlt 80 cI,c ohscf'al 90
Of the habits of th- small gray coated dcte'Nc a.
cur authof calls Z. have ever ben ir'p'H i'm n
II is not every mistress, indeed, Who ""un al"N
Ineo worms 10 be stored var'Ju, nogho ~ her draw
Ing room or could endure the loud hlmmcrng' Nhith
zoe kept zap. .hc following nolc We bcHcNc l" -
/ do not know whether naturalists have remarked
that the nuthatch la, yery limited I,IhEc o, ni ,
inches the most tempting meal" worm msht nc ~,
tl, floor ~ r1c cage unoticed II shc happened 10 nc
ON her tree stem aud have tried bringing inc sc't
uco rcr by degrees and have found ulu Only WlthH IL
foot nf her exec could she see IT. aud fancy men "hN
midst ncty rs she would peer about cNcn"dN. "a, u
uncertain what II Wa. until near enough to bc NJ ne
fo,,ie Of clear vision. ana thr VIM auo1'h ur'' '
would seize and III; away with IT,
one Of Mrs DrTgltwcns happy dcls has been iqr
eighteen years past. to Keep al"aSS Iu.' % t,,ire
dining room window "a basket OF TAT 10Y lh' r
She Ind, that fDur succcs-thc Greater tit Blue ~
cole iii and Marsh III come regularly to ic.l h ~ ~
A. shc SAYS nothing about the Long TAILED or hu,'h
TN we suppo-c that TN" fat doe. not altia'l thaI
fascinating little dcnizcr Of kitchen gardens Sne
md. Tho ner,Oua manners Of these four species ptN
d;.rct The cole Tit. with misplaced energy WcdIlc'
himself 10 carry the Eat away ana lde IL III CirN"'
I'm tbe bark Of rcc,, issiN Journey inE to ana 10 n
mai purpoec. The Marsh tit and Greater III. INc
cnnd rhiltrcn eat What the, require ana pO'hc hohr
Tie ouictnes If these spccic> contest WIN IN" ~
tcntious hustle Of the lltc hlnc H. "hoe luz
enent I'm what Mrs Rrghtwcn call, a twitlciI"-
trrun,o and who il never happy unless nc Is hiH-
ng INSIDE down. with open bcah ana "nl,llcad WIZ,
40 ono other Blue 1if. one ~ the cole llt> but
ri