ustration]

LXXI

WRENS LEARNING TO SING

A wren built her nest in a box, so placed that a family had a chance to
watch the mother bird teaching her young ones the art of singing
peculiar to wrens. She fixed herself on one side of the opening in the
box, directly before the young birds, and began singing over her whole
song very distinctly. One of the little birds then tried to imitate her.
After singing through a few notes, its voice broke and it lost the tune.
The mother at once began again where the young one had failed, and went
very distinctly through the rest of the song. The young bird made a
second attempt, beginning where it had stopped before, and kept up the
song as long as it was able. If the note was lost again, the mother
began anew where it stopped, and finished it. Then the little one
resumed the song and finished it.

This done, the mother sang over the whole series of notes a second time
with great care, and a second of the young ones tried to follow her. The
wren followed the same course with this one as with the first; and so on
with the third and all the rest. It sometimes happened that the young
bird would lose the tune three or four or more times in the same
attempt, and the mother would always begin where they stopped and sing
the rest of the song; and when each little bird had sung the whole song
through, she repeated the whole strain. Sometimes two of the young
birds began together. The mother did just the same as when one sang
alone. This practise was repeated day after day, and several times a
day.

[Illustration]

LXXII

RARE HONESTY

A mastiff dog, who owed more to the kindness of a neighbor than to his
master, was once locked by mistake in the well-stored pantry of his
benefactor for a whole day, where there were, within his reach, milk,
butter, bread and meat, in abundance. On the return of the servant to
the pantry, seeing the dog come out, and knowing the time it had been
shut in there, she trembled for fear of the waste which she was sure her
carelessness must have brought about; but on close examination, it was
found that the honest creature had not tasted of anything, although, on
coming out, he fell on a bone that was given him, with all the
greediness of hunger.

[Illustration]

LXXIII

DIVISION OF LABOR

The Alpine marmots are said to work together in the collection of
materials for the building of their homes. Some of them, we are told,