The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-30
Birds Stimulating SufferIng-Animal
&. Instinct.

In walking along the side Of a river
with overhanging banks came suddenly
On wild duck (A7aas Boschus), whose
young were just out. ASpringing from
under the bank she fluttered out into the
stream, with loud cries and with all the
struggles to escape of a helplessly wound.
ed bird. To simulate the effects of suf.
ferings from disease, or from strong emo.
ton, or from wounds upon the human
frame, is common necessity of the
actors art, and it is not often really we'll
done. The tricks Of the theater are sell
dom natural, and it is not without reason
that "theatrical' has become proverbial
expression for false and artificial repre-.
sentation of the realities of life. 1t was,
therefore, with no small interest that on
this, as on many other occasions, l watched
the perfection of an art which Mrs. Sid.
dons might have envied. The labored
and half.convulsive Tapping of the wings,
the wriggling of the body, the straining
of the neck, and the whole expression Of
painful and abortive effort, were really ad.
mirable. When her struggles had carried
her considerable distance, and she saw
they produced no effect in tempting us to
follow, she made resembling flaps upon
the surface of the water to secure that at
tention to herself which it was the great
object Of the maneuver to attract Then,
rising suddenly in the air she made
great circle round us, and returning to the
spot renewed her endeavors as before. 1t
was not, however, necessary; for the sepa-
rate instinct of the young in successful
hiding effectually bafiled all my attempts
to discover them.
lfnow we examine, in the light of our
own reason, all the elements of knowledge
or of intellectual perception upon which
the instinct of the wild duck is founded,
and all Of which, as existing somewhere,
it undoubtedly reflects, we shall soon see
how various and extensive those elements
of knowledge are. First, there is the
knowledge that the cause of the alarm is a
carnivorous animal. On this fundamental
point no creature is ever deceived. The
youngest chick knows a hawk, and the
dreaded form fills it with instant terror.
Next, there is the knowledge that dogs and
other carnivorous quadrupeds have the
sense of smell, as an additional element of
danger to the creatures on which they
prey. Next, there is the knowledge that
the dog, not being itself flying animal,
has sense enough not to attempt the pur-
suit OF prey which can avail itself of this
sure and easy method of escape. Next,
there is the conclusion from all this knowl-
edge that if the dog is to be induced to
chase, it must be led to suppose that the
power of flight has been somehow lost.
And then there is the further conclusion
that this can only be done by such an
accurate imitation of disabled bird as
shall deceive the enemy into belief in
the possibility of capture. And lastly,
there are all the powers of memory and
the qualities Of imagination which enable
good acting to be performed. All this
reasoning and all this knowledge is GER
tainly involved in the action of the bird
mother, Just as certainly as reasoning and
knowledge of much profounder kind is
involved in the structure or adjustment of
the organic machinery by which and
through which the action is itself per.
formed.-Duke Of argyll, IN the Contempo-
9n3V ReUieao