The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-26

iis head and pipe in his mouth, swing
ing backward and forward in amicablc
enjoyment with the son of his doctor."-
Correspondence ~ Y. Herald.
How Birds Improve I'm Nest.BuIldIng.
You often will meet with the statement
i'll Dooks about birds mid birds. nests, that
each species goes on, year after year and
generation after generation, building it's
nest In precisely the way which has al
waye been followed by It's ancestors. It
is said that birds build their nests entire
ly by instinct, and that no Improvement
ever takes place, but that each bird se-
lects place for its nest, and gathers the
materials, apd goes through the process
OF building In exactly the way which has
been followed for thousands of genera
tions. 1t is also stated tha: young birds
know how TO DO all this without any in
struction, and make their first nest as
skilfully MS those old birds which have
hnd experience, and have raised several
broods of young. These statements are
made so often by writer's upon natural
history, that it would seem as if there
must be good reason for them, aud yet
not one of them is true. Birds do not
always 60 on building their nests in SIM
liar places to those in which their ances-
tora built, but whenever better places are
offered them, they soou learn to take adj
vantage of them neither do they stick
tO the samo material for one generation
after another. but whenever more suitn-
bic material is placed within their reach,
they often learn how to use il, so that
their nests are much better than. those
built by their ancestors; neither is it
true that they never improve the shape
OF their nests, nor that the young birds
arc as skilful architects rs the old.
You all know TINT. only few hundred
years ago there was not barn or n chin.
ncy within the United States, unless.
perhaps, those singular clfEdwelIing
people in New Mexico aud Arizona, ol
whom we know 80 little, had barns and
chimneys. At any rnte, we know that
on the east side Of the Mississippi, Mt tho
time when the white men discovered and
settled the country, there werc no people
who knew anything Of architecture
The barn and chimney swallows were to
be found here then MS they are TO- day,
but of courpo they were compelled 10
build their nests in hollow trees and
N''Soy "a ebJ OSACi cuItADIC DIuGpS WHICH
they were able to find. AS soon as white
men spread over the country and erected
buildings, these birds, which had never
before seen a barn or q chimney, soon
discovered that these places nre much
moro warm and dry than rotten trees and
damp caves, as we'll rs better protected
from storms and it probably did not
take many years for the swallows to dis
cover that snakes and birds and beasts of
prey did not dare to approach such pla-
ces. These wise birds, then, improved
upon the habits 6f their ancestors, and
gave up their old savage life in tho woods,
III order TO share the benefits of civilian.
ton.
1t seems as natural now for barn.
swallow to make its ncst in II barn, as foi
n cat-tird to build in bush or n tree ;
but it is plain that this has not always
been the case, and that these birds have
been wise enough to change their mode
Of life.
1t 10 very certain that few hundred
years ago orioles could have known moth.
ing about airing or carpet. et.ravelings, and
must have confined themselves to such
stringy fbres as can be found In natu.
raj state; and those orioles which build
their nests NJ distance from houses.
still make use Of grass, flax, the fibrcs of
silk-weed, and other things which they
are able TO find; but of course n much
stronGer and .aa.o durable nest can be
wova;s ssorn 'atronS' thread and string,
and the birds have not been slow to dis
cover this and TO act accordingly.
A few years ago Pouchet, a French
nasHfallst, who was then engaged in writ
ing 6 BOOK upSa :;a,lral history, wished
TO havo an engraving made Of the nest
6i tho Common European house martin.
The nests in his collection were nearly
fifty, years old, and, thinking that the
artist would be able to make much bet
ter picture from q new and perfect neat
than from an old one he employed a
man to collect number from the walls
of the houses in Paris.
Upon comparing these with the old
nests in his collection, Pouchet found
that thore had beena-very great improve
ment IL the architecture Of these birds
within the last fifty years. He aays that
the old nests are globular, or forming n
segment OF @ sphere with g very small
rounded opening, juat largo enough to
allow tho passage of .he birds inhabiting
it; and the accounts Of all the ancient
writers sgrees in describing ,this as the
form: of the nest in their day. The new
nest !is in the form Of the quarter Of
hollow semi.oyaI, this giving threo flat
surfaces for attachment instead of one,
aud af5Tding; much more room on ths
floor Of the nest. The opening is no
longer o round hole, but o long trans.
verse slit, between the upper edge of the
nest and the wall. Of the building to
which it is attached, thus allowing the
young TO put their heads out and enjoy
tho fresk eli, without interfering with
the entrance and exit of the parents.
NJ. Poucbet says that, besides the adyan-
tagas of moro room inside the nest, in
creased facilities for access and greater
strength, il is ais0 ui0fu secure from the
Invasion Of enemies, and better protected
from tho entrance of cold rain, end is
thus o decided improvement upon the
old form.
Many of the naturalists who have
studied the habits of birds with the
greatest care have satisfied themselves
that young birds are not as skilfil as the
old, Nearly one hundred and fifty years
ago Lerory, q French naturalist who
spent his lifs IN studying tho habits Of
the wild snimais OF Eurone, published q
book, which his lately been translated
into English, on the "Intelligence and
Peffectibllity OF Animals. a. In this book
he says that It, isrimpessible that con-
etGnt,aIld attentive obaergdr Should fail
TO remark that the nests of young birds
are almost iriyaEjabIT iilsmada and badly
situated. he also shows that the best
: - q i-E4E -s.----ts-~-1--it
those species Sof birds whose SSung re-
main long time in the nest, and thus
hayo mora sopnnStunitv IN see how IL Ia