Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-10-17
THE E.vTBLLRCTU.sL POWERS
OF BERDS.

The popular Science Review for July
contains some interesting but too brief re-
marks by Mr.. Leith Adams on the "Men-
tai Powers of Birds" which 1t is interest
ing to define specifically as distinguished
from the mental powers of other animals
of the higher order of sagacity. This we
will briefly do. First, 1t would appear
from Mr.. Darwin's discussions-though
Mr.. Leith Adams hardly refers TO them
that none of the lower orders of crea-
lures have so keen an appreciation of beau
ty as many kinds of birds, and certainly
that none turn this taste for beauty so de-
lberately to the purpose of social amuse-
ment. That great naturalist has described
how somo kinds of birds really celebrate
festivities very closely approaching to our
wedding fetes, balls, and garden parties, in
places carefully decorated and arranged by
the birds for the purpose of social gather
ings, and which are not used for their actu-
al dwelling places. The best evidence,
says Mr.. Darwin, of a taste for the beauti-
full sis afforded by the three genera of An
stralian bower-birds." "Their bowers
where the sexes congregate and play strange
antics are differently constructed; but
what most concerns us is that they are dec
GRATED in a different manner by different
species. The satin bower bird collects gay
ly colored articles, such as the blue tall
feathers of parrakeets, bleached bones and
shells, which it sticks between the twigs,
or arranges at the entrance. Mr.. Gould
found in one bower neatly worked stone
tomahawk and slip of blue cotton, evil
IDENTIFY procured from native encamp-
ment. These objects are continually rear
ranged and carried about by the birds while
at play. The bower Of the spotted bower
bird is beautifully lined with tall grasses,
so disposed that the heads nearly meet,
and the decorati ons are very profuse.
Round stones are used to keep the grass
stems in their proper places, and to make
divergent paths leading to the bower. The
stones and shells are often brought from
great distance. The regent-bird, as de-
scribed by Mr.. Ramsay, ornaments its
short bower with bleached land-shell5 be-
longing to five or six species, and with
berries of various colors, blue, red, and
black, which give it, when fresh very
pretty appearance. Besides these, there
are several newly picked leaves and young
shoots of pinkish color, the whole show
ing a decided taste for the beautiful Well
does Mr.. Gould say. these highly decorated
halls of assembly must be regarded as the
most wonderful instances of bird architect
ure vet discovered; : and the taste, we see,
of the different species certainly differs"
You could not have distincter. evidence in
lady's salon carefully decorated with
flowers, either of her taste for The beauti-
full, or of the deliberate subordination of
that taste to social purposes, than we have
here of the same qualities in birds. Mr..
Leith Adams in his paper hardly refers, as
we have already observed, 10 this remark
able class of facts at all, only pointing out
that the obvious preference for gayly color
ed plumage on the part of the females clear
ly implies genuine taste for the beautiful
in birds, which is, of course, true, but is
not nearly as good evidence of distinct
intellectual development on this point as
the elaborate decor alton of their bowers by
birds for festive purposes. The mere pref
and purely instructive, but when bird
looks out for bleached land-shells and tai
grasses TO ornament its reception-room
and fetches round stones TO "ix" the grass
es in their proper place, and then uses the
hall thus provided only for festive soca
purposes, you can hardly deny such birds
either tho powers or the tastes of land
hall sxix nd III.
fancy this kind of deliberate taste for the
beautiful, and the beautiful in subordina
ton TO social purposes, is confined among
| the lower animals TO birds and, as regards
| the social purposes, TO very few orders o
| birds. great many birds seem to have
more appreciation of beauty of color thar
almost any other class of animals, but on
ly in few species has it risen to the poin
of really decorative social art. We ma,
gather from this that in the bird the per
ception of harmony is of very high kind
and. this evidently applies to sound as wei
as cclor. No creatures utter sounds s.
full of beauty, or display such wonderful
qualifications for initiating the beautiful
sounds they hear. Must we not say, then
that the bird has, in moro force than an
other species of the lower animals, the per
ception of harmony in forms, colors, an
sounds, and the further consciousness c
the fascination such harmony has for il
own species, and the enhancement it lend
to social enjoymentss
Another great mental quality which bird
seem to have in excess of other animals,
very fine calculation of distance, an
this, too, in direct subordination to the
own well-being. 1t has been shown agai
and again-and Mr.. Leith Adams refers
some facts in support of it in this essay
that as new weapons of offense are inven
ed, many species of birds narrowly ol
serve the range of the new bows or gun
and keep out of range, not even troublin
themselves to go at all farther than is nee
essary TO be out of range. Quite recent
we have read of some birds which adapte
themselves within few days TO the il
creased range of the rifle, directly aft
they had learned Its range for the first tim
having been previously accustomed on
to the fowling piece, and kept just outsi'
the two thousand yards range, or whate
er range it was, retaining their composu
perfectly at that distance. We suppose Il
wonderful accuracy Of the travelling bir
in striking the exact point for which thu
are bound, of which Mr.. Leilh Adar
gives us wonderful illustrations, is a ST
,, greater proof of the same power. Mr.. A
ans tells us of swifts which, after Gig
months absence in the South-at a d
tance of some 1900 or 1900 miles-retu
not merely to the same region, but to
> same nests which they had deserted, a
!, that, too, year after year-the individui
having been mark ed so that there could