Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-11-22

their heads while yet In tho she'll were
while thus blind made the subject of OK.
pertinent. These, when left TO themselves
seldom made forward step, their move
ments were round and round and bacs
ward but when placed within five or Six
feet of the hen mother, they, in answer 10
her call, became much more lively, began
to make little forward journeys, and soon
followed her by sound alone, though, Of
course, blindly. Another experiment con-
sisted in rendering chickens deaf for n
time by sealing their ears with several
folds of gum-paper before they had s,rap-
ed from the shell. These, on having O. u
ears opened when two or three days old, aut
being placed within call of the mother con-
cealed in box, after turning round few
times, ran straight to the spot whence came
the first sound they had ever heard. Clear
ly of these ch hclens 1t cannot be said that
sounds were to them at first but meaning
less sensations.
One or two observations favorable 10 lyo
opipiou that animals have an instinc.iS
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 sparrow-haNk
was seen lowering at great hight over
head. Again, young hawk was madeto
ny over n hen with her first brood OF chlck-
ems, then about week old. In the twink
ling of an eye most Of the chickens were
among grass and bushes. And scarcely
had the hawk touched the ground, about
twelve yards from where the hen had ben
sitting, when she fell upon ii, and would
soon have killed ii outright. a young tCr-
key gave even more striking evidence.
When ten days old ii heard the voice OF he
hawk for the first time, and just beside II.
Like an arrow from,thc bow il darted of
in the opposite direction, and crouched In
a corner, remained for ten minutes motion
less and dumb with fear. Out Of vast
number of experiments with chickens aud
bees. though the results were not uniform,
yet in the great majority of instances the
chickens gave evidence of instructive fear
of these sting bearing insects.
But to return to the examples of instinc-
eskill and knowledge, concerning which
/ think no doubt can remain, very use
Cul instinct may be observed in the early
attention that chickens pay to their toilet.
As soon as they can hold up their heads,
when only from four TO five hours old, they
attempt dressing at their wings, that, too,
when they have been denied the use Of
their eyes. Another incontestable case of
instinct may be seen in the act of scraping
in search of food. Without any opportun-
ities of imitation, chickens begin to scrace
when from two TO six days old. Most fire.
quently the circumstances are suggestive;
at other times, however, the first attempt,
which gene rally consists of sort of nerv-
Gus dance, was made on a smooth table.
The unacquired dexterity shown in the
capture of insects is very remarkable. \
duckling one day old, on being placed in
the open air FIR the first time, almost irl'
mediately snapped at and caught fly on
the wing. Still more interesting is the IN
structive art of catching flies peculiar 10
the turkey. When not n day and haIl
old observed that a young turkey, Which
had adopted while yet in the shell, point
ing its boak slowly and deliberately at hies
and other small insects without actually
pecking at them. In doing this its head
could be seen to shake like hand that is
attempted TO be held steady by visible eff
fort. This recorded when l did not un-
derstand its meaning. For it was not until
afterwards that l observed that turkey,
when it sees fly settled on any object,
steals on the unwary insect with slow and
measured step, and, when sufficiently near,
advances its head very slowly and steadily
until within reach Of its prey, which is
then seized by sudden dart. In still fur
ther confirmation of the opinion that such
wonderful examples of deXterity and cum
ming are instructive and not acquired, may
be adduced the significant fact that the in
dividuals of each species have little capat-
ity TO learn anything not found in the hab-
its Of their progenitors. \ chicken was
made, from the fiist and for several months
the sole companion of a young turkey.
Yet ii never showed the slightest tendency
to adopt the admirable art of catching flies
that it saw practiced before its eyes every
hour OF the day.
The only theory in explanation OF the
phe omenon Of instinct that has an air Of
science about it, is the doctrine of Iuherit-
ed Association. Instinct in the present
generation of animals is the product of the
accumulated experiences of past genera
tions. Great difficulty, however, is felt by
many in conceiving how anything so i'm
palpabe as fear at the sight of bee should
be transmitted from parent to offspring.
1t SHOULD be remembered, however, that
the permanencc of such associations in the
history of an individual life depends on
the corresponding impress given to the
nervous organization. We cannot, strictly
speaking, experience any individual act of
consciousness vice over; but as by pulling
the bell-cord to-day we can, in the Ian
guage of ordinary discourse, produce the
sa me sound we heard yesterday, so, while
the established connections of the nerves
and nerve-centres hold, we are enabled TO
live our experience over again. Now, why
should not these notifications of brain
matter, that, enduring from hour to hour
and from day to day, render acquisition
possible, be, like any other physical pecul-
iarity, transmitted from parent to offspring2
That hey are so transmitted is all butproyed
by the facts of instinct, while these, in their
turn, receive their only rational explana-
ton in the theory Of Inherited Association.
WOMAN IN JAPAN.-The cause of wO-
mans rights is advancing in Japan. The
ladies Of the higher classes are allowed fire.
quently to drive or walk out in Yeddo.
The education of women is a fixed yet ad-
vancing fact, and already nearly dozen
girls schools, taught by foreign ladies have
been established in the capital. But the
great event of the year is the removal of
tho restriction hitherto preventing them
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