, 1877-09-01
BlHD.PROCRESS.

4 ~ L toASsctl
| You often will meet with the statemen
in books about birds and birds nests, tha
each species goes On, year after year an,
generation after generation, building it
nest IN precisely the way which ha. Away
been followed by its ancestorx 1t is sal,
that birds build their nests entirely by in
stinct, and that no Improvement eve
takes place, but that each bird selects
place for its nest, and gathers the n,ateri
ais, anu goes through The eprocess of build
ing in exactly the way which has beenfol
lowed for thousands of generations 1t i
also stated that young birds know how
tO do all this without any instruction
and make their nests rs skilfully rs thos,
old birds which have had experience, and
have raised several broodS of young.
These statements are made so often by
writers on natural history that it would
seem as If there must be a good reason
tor them, and yet not one of them is true.
Birds do not always go on building their
nests IN similar places to those in which
their ancestors built. but whenever better
places are offered them, they soon learn
to take advantage of them neither do
they stick to the same material for one
generation after another, but whenever
more suitable material is placed within
their reach, they often learn how TO use
1t, SD that their nests are much better than
those built by their ancestors. Neither
Is 1t true that they never improve the
shape of their nests, Nor that the young
birds are s..ilful architects rs the old
You all know that only few hundred
years ago there was not barn or a chim-
ney within the United States, unless, per-
haps, these singular cliff dwelling people
In New Mexico and Arizona, of whom We
know SO little, had barns and chimneys.
At any rate, We know that on iile east side
OF the Mississippi, at the time when the
white men discovered and settled the
country, there were no people who knew
of architecture. The barn and
chimney swallows We're to be found here
then us they are to-day, but of course
they were compelled to build their nests
III hollow trees or caves, or any other
suitable place 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
are much more warm and dry than rotten
trees and damp caves, as well as better
protected from storms and it probably
did not take many years for the swallows
to discover that snakes and birds and
beasts OF prey did not dare to approach
s:lch places. These wise birds, t n, i'm
proved upon the habits Of their al cestOrs
and gave up their old savage life in the
woods, lii order to share the benefits Of
civilization
1t seems as natural now for barn
swallow to make its nest In barn, as for
Il cs:t-bird to build in a bush OF tree !;
but it is PLAIN that this has not always
been the case, and that these birds have
been Misc enough to change their mode Of
life.
1t is very certain that few hundred
years ago orioles could have known moth
ing about string or carpet ravelings, and
must have confined themselves to such
stringy iibrcs rs can be found in natural
state !; and these orioles which built their
nests at distance from houses still make
use Of srass, fax, the iibres of silk weed
and other things which they are able to
find but 81 Course much stronger and
durable nest can be woven from strong
threads and strings, and birds have not
been slow to discover this and act accord
ingly-
4 few years ago Pouchet, French
who was then engaged in writ
ing : book upon natural history, wished
to have an engraving made Of the nest Of
the com,non European house martin. The
nests i'll his collection were nearly fifty
years old, ard, thinking that the artist
would be able TO make much better
picture from rev and perfect nest than
from an old one, he employed man to
collect number from the walls Of the
houses in Paris.
Upon comparing these with the old
nests In mis- collection, Pouchet found
that there had been very great improve
,nent in the architecture of these birds
within the last fifty years. He says that
the Old nests are gobular, OF forming
segment of sphere with very small
rounded opening just large enough to al
low the passage Of the birds inhabiting 1t;
and the accounts Of all the ancient writ
ers agree IN describing this IS the form OF
the nest in their day The new nest Is in
The form of the quarter OF hollow semi-
oval, this giving three fiat surfaces for at
tachment instead OF one, and affording
much more room ON the floor Of the nest
The opening Is no longer round hole,
but a long transverse slit, between the
upper edge OF the nest and the wall OF the
building TO which it is attached, thus al
lowing the youI;g to put their heads out
and enjoy the fresh AIR, without interfer-
ing with the entrance and exit Of the
parents. ~ Pouehet says that besides
advantages OF more room inside the nest,
increased facilities and greater strength,
il is also more secure from the INV aslon OF
enemies, and better protected from the en-
tiance Of cold and rain, and Is thus .
decided improvement upon the old form.
rdauy OF the naturalists who have studi-
ed the habit OF birds with the greatest
care, have satisfied themselves that young
birds are not IS skillful as the old Near
II one hundred and fifty years ago Lerory,
a French naturalist, who spent his life In
studying the habits of the wild animals of
Europe, published a book, which has late
" been translated into English, "on the
Intelligence and Perfectability of AMI,
mails In this book, he says, that it il
impossible that constant and attentive
observer should fail to remark that the
nests of young birds are almost invnxia-
bly, in-made and badly situated BE also
shows that the best and most cOmp6cated
nests are made by those species Of birds
whose young remain a long tire IN the
nest, and thus have more opportunity %
see how It Is made. Wilson, the oFnitholo-
gist. who spent his life in studying The
habits Of our birds, reached the same coa-
ciusion-that there is a very PreesPhble
inferiority in the nests Of young birds.