Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-08-26
Some Friendships with Birds

From the Saturday Reyiew-l
In the graceful dedication of this vol
ume to Sir James Paget the author con-
fesses that her book 'twould scarcely have
been written but for the encouragement of
your sympathy and the stimulus of what
you have contributed to the loving study
of nature.n As we read, the pages SO in
spired, we gradually form an idea of the
writer, lady sequestered in country
home, depending largely for her interests
on the study of nature, and sustained
through long and tedious periods of ILL
health by the keen eye and the cautious
hand of the born naturalist. "Wild Ma
ture Won by Kindness" has peculiar
value, which will commend it to those who
are themselves familiar with the shyer
forms of animal life We mean its record
of observations made at first hand, and in
that extreme patience which knows no
tedium. The incidents recorded are not
sensational, but they are angularly fresh,
and we have met with no recent book of
popular natural history which bears upon
it SO complete stamp of gentleness- Mrs
Brightwen's stories are invariably told as
minute features they display the originality
of her observation.
We are told on the title-page that Mrs.
Brightwen is vice.president of that
praiseworthy body to whose efforts we
have so often and so warmly given our
tribute-the Selborne society. Her atti-
tude toward animated nature is evidently
humane and philosophical. She depre
Gates the notion that harmless animals are
hideous or hateful, simply because their
forms are unfamiliar. She tells us that
she had in her childhood great dread of
toads and frogs, and that she recalls with
gratitude the action of relative who in
sisted on making the child appreciate the
genuine beauty of frog. ''She made me
look at the beautiful gold circle round its
eyes; its curious webbed feet, its leaping
power arising from the long hind legs,
she told me of the wonderful tongue, so
long and flexible that it folded back in its
mouth. aud how the frog would sit at the
edge of an ant-hill and, throwing out the
tongue with its sticky point, would pick
off the ants one by one as they came out" !"
With this the child's fears vanished, and a
healthy curiosity took their place.
Mrs. Brightwen gives it as her expert
ence that the most satisfactory and delight
fu of all pets are birds one which has reared
IEOul llc htcl OnA AsAtAStrAA
fed and educated into feathered maturity,
have been many. Their biographies in
clude the history of two successive star
lings, greenfinch ''of the most irrepressi-
BILE and enterprising character" four wild
ducks, a jay and a cuckoo. OF these we
are inclined to think that the startling
'sDick and Richard the Second" during
their fugitive existence, gave most unal-
loyed pleasure TO their foster-mother.
u. a.. .
last in an aquarium, a victim to his in
satiable love of water, was one of the most
charming bird companions we have ever
read about, absolutely fearless, full of freaks
and imprudence, ga. prodigal son, !" who
caused ceaseless heartaches TO his indul-
gent adopted mother by his frivolity and
imprudence, and who paid all these debts
in the coin of most charming caresses.
The morning toilet of Richard the Second
was so copious and violent that the whole
household We're deluged by it, and the
| housemaids murmured threats against
''that bird" At last the happy thought
| struck his mistress that he might profit
ably bathe in the conservatory, where
there was pool. She consequently
| created a moss island in the middle of this
pool, put the startling upon il, and
turned the fountain on to play lightly on
his shoulders:
'sHe was perfectly enchanted, and fiut
| tered, turned about, and frisked like 6
bird possessed. As he became accustomed
\ to it. / began to throw handfuls of water
over him, and that he did enjoy. HI
would cover down, and lie with his wing
| expanded and beak open, receiving charge
/ upon charge of water till quite out oi
breath; then he would run a few pacei
away ON his island till he recovered him
self, and then would 60 back and plac.
himself ready for a renewed douche.
new saw such a plucky bird. If I had
been trying to drown him, L could no
have done more, for sometimes he wa.
knocked backward into the pool; but nj
matter, he was up again, and all ready in I
/ minute
The wild ducks were very wayward ant
intractable pets, extremely disobedient tS
the respectable old hen under who's.
charge they were placed. They got intc
| the habit of disappearing every afternoon
| as suddenly and completely as if it had
sunk into the ground, returning in due
time, in discreet Indian tle, to Liz
down in their coop. Mrs. Brightwen's
curiosity to know what became of them
was greatly excited, and at last she dis
| covered them on. the surface of quiet
pond at a considerable distance from the
house.
'sThere found my little friends in higf
! glee, darting over the surface of the water
splashing, diving, sending up showers o.
spray from their wings, and going ON as i
they were possessed. called to them, ,ani
in moment they quieted down, and be
haved exactly as children would have don,
when caught tripping-they came out o
the water and followed me, in the meekes
and most penitent manner, back to thei
| coop under the deodar.m
The jay was unsatisfactory as pet. H
would store water in his beak, and sud
denly squirt it in the most ungentlemanly
like manner, in the faces of persons WHOM
he disliked; but to Mrs. Brightwen 'sh
was snot so-who could be to herr in tn
words of virginius. When she approache
him he hastened to dispense the hospital
ties of his cage, urging upon her the mos
succulent tid-bit he could find in his fooi
trough.
Avery interesting chapter in thisyolum