Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-10-06
Birds Stimulating Suffering Animal
Instinct

In walking along the side of a river
with overhanging banks. L came sud-
denly on wild duck, (ARGs BOschus,)
whose young were just out. Springing
from under the bank, she fiuttered out
into the stream with loud cries and
with all the struggles TO escape of
helplessly- wounded bird. TO simulate
the effects of suffering from disease, or
from strong emotion, or from wounds
upon the human frame. j. a common
necessity of the actors art, and il is not
often really well done. The tricks of
the theatre are seldom natural, and it is
not without reason that "theatrical''
has become proverbial expression for
false and artificial representations of the
realities of life. IL was therefore with
no small interest that on this, as on
many other occasions, / watched the
perfection of an art which Mrs. Siddons
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 admirable. When her struggles
had carried her considerable distance,
and she saw that they produced no
effect in tempting us to follow, she
made resOunding flaps upon the surface
of the water to secure that attention to
herself which it was the great object of
the maneuvre to attract. Then, rising
suddenly in the air, she made a great
circle round us, and returning TO the
spot renewed her endeavors as before.
IU was not, however, necessary; for the
separate instinct of the young in sue
cessful hiding effectually baffied all my
attempts to discover them.
If now 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, rs
existing somewhere, ii undoubtedly re-
fleets, we shall soon see how various
and extensive these elements of knowl-
edge are. First, there is the knowledge
that the cause of the alarm is a carniv-
orous animal. On this fundamental
point no creature j. ever deceived.
The youngest chick knows hawk, and
the dreadful form fills it with instant
terror. Next, there is the knowledge
that dogs and other carniyorous quad
rupeds 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 10 attempt the pursuit
of prey which can avail itself of this
sure and easy method of escape. Next,
there is the conclusion from all this
knowledge, that if the dog is to be in
duced to chase, it must be led to sup
pose, that the power of flight has been
somewhat lost. And then there is the
further conclusion that this can only be
done by such an accurate imitation of a
disabled bird as shall deceive the enemy
into belief in the possibility of cap
ture. And lastly, there are all the
powers of memory and the qualities of
Imagination which will enable good
acting to be performed. All this rea-
soning and all this knowledge is Ger
tainly involved in the action of the
bird-mother, just as certainly as reason
ing and knowledge of a much pro-
founder kind i involved in the struc-
ture or adjustment of the organic ma
chinery by which and through which
the action is itself performed.-C Coateia-
g,oraTy Rerieir.