Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-28

A chicken at the end OF six minutes, after hav-
inc its eyes unveiled, followed with its head the
movements Of tiv twelve inches distant; at ten
minutes, the tiy coming within reach Of its neck
was seized and swallO we'd at the first stroke; at
the end of twenty minutes it bad not attempted
10 walk a step. It was then placed on rough
ground within sigut and call of a hen. with
chickens of its own age. After standing chirp
ING for about minute, it went straight toward
the hen, displaying as keen perception of the
qualities of the outer world as it was ever likely
10 possess in after life. Ii never required to
knock its bead against a stone to discover that
there was mo road that way Ii leaped over
the smaller obstacles that lay on its path, and
ran round the larger, reaching the mothe" in as
nearly a straight tue as the nature Of the ground
would permit. Thus it would seem that, prior
to experience, the eye-at least the eye of the
contemporaries The primary qualities OF the
external world, all arguments of the purely an
alytical school of psychology to the contrary,
notwithstanding.
Not less decisive were experiments on hearing.
Chickens haiched and kept in the dark for dav
or two, on being placed IN the light nine or ten
feet IRON a box in which a brOodiug hen was
concealed, after standing chirpng for minute
Ut two, uniformly set off straight to the box in
answer TO the call of the hen which they had
never seen and never before heard. This they
did, struggling through grass and over rough
ground, when not able TO stand steadily on their
legs. Again, chickens that from the first had
been denied the use of their eyes by having
hoods drawn over their heads while yet in the
shell, were while thus blind made the subject of
experiment These, when left to themselves,
seldom made q forward step, their movements
were round aud round and backwards: but when
placed within five or six feet of the hen mother,
they, in answer 10 her call, became much more
lively, began 10 MAKE little forward journeys,
and soon followed her by sound alone, though OF
course blindly. Another experiment consisted
in rendering chickens deaf Tor time by sealing
their ears with several folds OF gum paper before
they had escaped from the shell. These, on hay
ing their ears opened when two or three days
old, and being placed within call of the mother
concealed in box or on the other side Of door,
after turning round a few times ran straight to
the spot whence came the first sound they had
ever heard. Clearly, of these chickens itcannot
be said that sounds were to them at first but
meaningless sensations.
One or two observations favorable TO the opin-
ion that animals have an instructive knowledge
of their enemies may be taken for what they
are worth. When twelve days old one of my
little prOtegeS running about beside me- gave
the peculiar chirp whereby they announce the
approach Of danger. On looking up Il sparrow
hawk was seen hovCrng at great height over
head. Again, young hawk was made TO lily
over hen with her first brood OF chickens, then
about Il week old. In the twinkllng OF an eye
most Of the chickens were hid among grass and
bushes. And scarcely had the hawk touched
the ground, about twelve yards from where the
hen had been sitting, when she fell upon it, and
would soon have killed it outright A young
turkey gave even more striking evidence When
ten days old it heard the voice OF the hawk for
the first time. and Just beside il. Like an arrow
from the bow it darted off in the opposite
direction, and, crOuched in a corner, remained
for ten minutes motiOnleSs and dumb with fear.
Out of a vast number OF experiments with
chickens and bees, though the results were not
uniform, yet in the great number Of instances
the chickens gave evidence OF instructive lear Of
these stng-hearing insects.-Fr0m Paper Read
Before the British association.