The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-06-06
Peculiaritie. of Birds.

1t Is well known to naturalists that all
birds which build on the ground feign
lameness when they think their young are
in danger. The reason why the ground
builders pratice this deception, and the
tree builders do not, is obvious. A cor
respondent of the London Field writes
81 have unusual opportunities of wit
Messing the great cunning Of wild ducks in
particular, when their young have been
led away from the water, or are placed in
circumstances where escape from imminent
danger is impossible. Every Spring many
broods Of them are hatched in this neigh.
borhood, and the parent birds are tempted
to wander often considerable distance
with their young over the lawn, and away
from the lake, in search of grubs and in.
seets-and the rapidity with which the
ducklings pounce upon the smallest insect
is really surprising. In such situations
the old duck is quite aware of the helpless
position of her brood, and on your ap.
preaching anywhere near them she imme-
diately arises with her plaintive quack of
warning, and away she goes. But if you
still proceed in the direction where her
brood lie in concealment, she returns at
once, and by every dodge attempts to dis
tract your attention and induce you to
pursue an apparently disabled bird. The
difficulty of discovering the ducklings is
often so great, though there may be scarce
ly turf of grass to hide them, that one
fears to go near where you know they lie
in case of tramping on them. have said,
that as far as my observation goes, feign-
ing lameness is confined very much to birds
of certain class, viz, those which build
their nests on the ground But to be still
more explicit IL All birds in the game
list do so, | believe, without an exception.
Pheasants are most careless Of their young,
and easily made to forsake their nests du-
ring incubation but still they feign lame
ness to draw you away from their brood.
2 Water fowl are particularly demonstra-
tive in feigning lameness at least all the
duck tribe, including the red-breasted
merganser, are so. With regard to sea
birds, such as the aux, razorbill, and gull
lemot, | have not had the same opportu-
mites for observing them, but they can
scarcely be said to build on the ground, as
they inhabit the lodges of the highest rocks
that impend over the sea. 3. All waders
do so, including the curlew, redshank,
suipe, ruff, sandpiper, water rail, oster-
catcher, ringed ployer dotterell, coot, and
water hen. A. think plover are no ex-
ception; the golden plover am pretty sure
| have seen feigning lameness The pee
wit or lapwing we all know has a way Of
her own, but still she does her best to allure
you from the abode of her young. 5.
Lastly, we must not omit those smaller
birds which build on or near the ground,
though their young remain in the nest till
aedged, such as yellowhammers, larks, wag-
tails, &c, all of which class feign lameness
when you disturb them from their nest
But one Of the most extraordinary cases
of this sort that ever occurred to me hap
pened about two years ago in connection
with singular instance of audacity from
one of the most impotent of birds | was
training two young dogs for the 18th, when
felt something Auttering at my feet, and
supposed that | unfortunately had trampled
on young grouse. On looking down
saw bird, which turned out to be night
jar, dashing at my legs, with its feathers
set on end like gamecock How long it
might have continued its assault | cannot
say, and so fearless was it that / might
easily have caught it but when one Of
the dogs appeared it Immediately took
alarm, and sidled off in most crippled
looking fashion till it had led the dog to
a sufficient distance from the spot. On
looking carefully down | discovered its
two young ones within an inch or two of
my feet. Admitting, then, the fact (and
don't anticipate contradiction from any
field naturalist) that all ground nesting
birds do, as rule, feign lameness when
their young are approached, the point of
interest for naturalists to note should then
clearly be, not the birds of this class which
do, but those which do not, feign lame
ness under such circumstances. Erceptio
probdt regutdm; and the exceptions in
this case, believe, are very few. There
is only one which at present occurs to me
that of gulls in general. The black
headed gull will sometimes dash past you
within few feet of your face when she
thinks her young are in danger, but |
don't think she feigns lameuess. The
larger gulls, like the two blackbacks, soar
aloft, cifcling over their nest, and uttering
one monotonous, melancholy note of dis
tress. There is nothing more interesting
to observe than the foculty which all ami |
mails possess of giving their young warn
ing of danger, and the promptitude of
their young in hiding Immediately when
they see the mute signal or hear the note
of warning, as the case may be. l have
frequently listened with interest to see If
| could detect anything different in the
note of warning from the ordinary tone Of
n