Excerpt from British Oology, Vol. 1: Being Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds, With Figures of Each Species, as Far as Practicable, Drawn and Coloured From Nature Few can have failed to notice that wonderful and all-ah sorbing feeling of anxiety, that utter disregard of self, which, during the breeding season, produces so remarkable a change in the nature of many of our birds: converting that wariness for which they are at other times remarkable, into the most heedless disregard of danger. Numerous anecdotes are related of the devotedness of the Partridge, and other species of birds, in the protection of their young. The Misletoe Thrush, usually so shy, seeks the immediate neighbourhood of our houses, during the season of incubation, rearing its young ones within sight of our windows, and spreading terror amongst the rest of the feathered race, by its pugnacious persecution of all intruders. A Kestel Hawk, belonging to a gentleman in Derby, whilst quietly seated upon an apple-tree, unconscious of harm, having excited the suspicions of a Misletoe Thrush, which had its nest near, received its death-blow from its bill, at a single pounce. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.