The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-17
An Indignation Meeting OF Birds-A
True Story.

True Story.
Much has been said on reasoning by
animals. Of the fact there can be no
doubt; of its nature too little is known.
But think less still is known Of the
emotions of animals. Take an aftec-
tionate dog how he suffers from jeal-
ousy! Our little Prince was completely
miserable if his mistress took the neigh
boris baby on her lap.
Several times I have been eyewitness
to emotions of a high order among
birds-namely, sympathy with other
birds in distress.
When a college student I was taken
very ill in my sophomore year, and =,
gaining strength but slowly, the doctor
ordered me into the country.
I boarded at a farmhouse and gave
myself entirely up to the woods and
fields.
Through an entire summer I studied
lovingly the ways of the birds, and de-
termined to raise some young thrushes
and take them with me to nv city
home in the fall.
My selection was nest of brown
thrushes. 1t was in thick mass Of
bushes in swamp-an ENHANCEMENT
of wild growth, and almost inpen-
|etrable.
Every day I watched, from the eggs
10 the callow young. 1 resolved 10
allow the old birds two weeks; then l
would assume the raising of the young
ones.
AT last the day came, and all my
preparations were made. Taking with
me cage, I worked my way through
the dense undergrowth. Very care
ully removed the nest, and was try
ing to get it into the cage when the
female bird arrived. She uttered cry,
almost shrek, aud disappeared, but
returned Immediately with her mate.
The two birds made wild effort to
drive me away, even flying at me with
every demonstration of rage and dis
tress. Then, to my surprise, they both
left.
Inow felt so mean that I at once set
about putting the nest back in the bush {;
but it gave me good deal of trouble,
as could not make it stay in its place.
What now? The two old birds were
back, accompanied by q whole bevy of
wild birds. The entire coppice was
alive with them. They seemed bent
on picking my eyes out. I had to
screen my face by holding the cage be-
fore it.
AS to the birds-thei number and
variety and conduct-altogether, it was
an extraordinary scene. 1t seemed to
me there were at least fifty of these in
dignant little bodies, and perhaps q
dozen species, some flying at me, and
all making an cry demonstrations.
There were brown thrushes, song
thrushes, catbirds, and several of the
warblers. Such an uproar-meWing,
shrieking, twittering, and other cries,
babel of sounds! 1t all meant dis
tress and rage. But such mix upl!
All talked at once. The one keykote
of the discord was distress and inGigna-
ton.
got out of that swamp wiser and
better youth. My conscience smote
me, and my only solace lay in the
thought that had done my best to un.
do the mischief had wrought.
The next morning I again went to
be swamp to see how matters stood.
How softly worked my way through
he brushes How deathly still every
thing was! The young birds had gone.
I did so want to know how the old
birds had managed matters, and how
it Jared with the little ones.
That indignation meeting of the
birds occurred great many years ago,
but the scene is still vivid to my mind.
One winter, just after a snowstorm,
bevy of snowbir 's appeared near my
house. 1 fed them crumbs, and they
stayed with US several days. They got
little bold, even coming to the kitch-
Ell steps to get their rations. There
vas, however, one exception.
a fence separated the old apple
orchard from the house lot, and | OBJ
served that one bird kept on the fence
rail, never venturing nearer to the feed
ing place. To my surprise and delight,
the reason of it was soon made plain.
The poor little fellow was lame OF
one wing, so he must not be too bold,
as in the event of danger he must have
some vantage for escape. So an old
bird took him crumbs at every feeding
time.
But the most remarkable act in my
knowledge of bird in sympathy with
another in distress was performed by a
robin not two hundred yards from my
house. 1t was a deed of daring, and
in the highest degree heroic.
A sparrow hawk had pounced on a
sparrow in the street, and was bearing
| it away. A robin from his maple tree
witnessed the act and instantly started
in pursuit.
High i'm the air the noble little fel-
low caught up with the buccaneer. and
one could hear the short, jerky cries OF
the hawk as the robin was "pegging
in" and making the feathers fly.
The hawk dropped his prey, and the
robin returned to the maple tree, where
he had left his mate. The sparrow
made the best of time to get back to
his kind.
Was not that nobly done for the
robin $50 brave and 80 omagnanimous,
too.