The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1885-04-25
USEFUL INFORmA ZION.
Faculties Of Birds.

In studying the habits of birds, one
cannot but be struck with the fact that
in proportion to their dangers, expert
ences and pleasures, they become warm
hearted, bold or timd, ferocious or cum
ming, passionate as the falcon, or delibe.
rate as the crook, according to the life
they have to lead. And more than this,
we find that they display in many ways
remarkably high degree of intelligence.
The water-hen, for instance, which is
found from Siberia to the Cape, has a
kind of human facility, as Mr.. Ruskin
observes, in adapting itself to climate, as
well as almost human domesticity of
temper, with curious fneness of sagacity
and sympathies in taste. A family of
them, much petted by lady, were con-
stantly adding materials to their nest,
and made real havoc IN the flower garden,
for though straw and leaves are their
chief ingredients, they seem to have an
eye to beauty, and the old hen has been
seen surrounded with brilliant wreath
Of scarlet anemones. This aesthetic water.
hen, with her mate, lived at Cheadle, in
Staffordshire, in the rectory moat, for
several seasons, always, however, leaving
it in the spring.
Being constantly fed the pair became
quite tame, built their nest in thorn
bush, covered with ivy, which had fallen
into the water, and when the young were
a few days old, the parents brought them
close to the drawing-room window, where
they were regularly fed with wheat, and
as the lady Of the house paid them the
greatest attention, they learned to look
on her as their natural protectress and
friend, so much so that one bird in par.
ticular, which was much prosecuted by
the rest, when attacked, would fly to her
for refuge; and whenever she called them,
the whole flock, as tame as barn.door
fowls, quilted the water and assembled
round her to the number of seventeen.
They also made other friends in the dogs
belonging to the family, approaching
them without fear, though hurryng of
in great alarm at the appearance of o
strange dog. --. r....
Frank Buckland gives several curiou.
instances of the special habits of somt
birds in procuring their food. The black
birds, thrushes, etc., carry snales consid
cradle distances for the purpose of break
ing their shells against some rock o
stone.
Thomas Edwards, the Scottish natural
lists, describes gulls and ravens flying t
\ greater height with crabs and othe
shell.fish, and letting them fall on stone
in order to smash the shells, and If the
do not break on the first attempt, he say
they pick them up ugain and carry ther
up higher, repeating the operation agai
and again, till the shell is broken Ra
vens also resort to this contrivancs
When the lapwing is searching for food
it pounces on worm.cast, and stampin
the ground beside it with its feet, wait
till the worm, alarmed at the shaking c
the ground, issues from its hole in tn
hope of making its escape, whereupon
is Immediately seized and eaten by tn
cunning bird.
Darwin tells Of bird having been re
peatedly seen to hop on poppy-sten
and shake the head with its bill ii
many seeds were scattered, when
sprang to the ground and ate up the seet
Some birds are gifted with a sense of ot
servation approaching to something yer
like reason faculties, as the following al
ecdote proves. At gentleman's hous
in Staffordshire, the pheasants are fed OF
one of those boxes, the lid of which ris'
with the pressure of tho pheasant stant
ing on rail in front of the box.
water.hen observed this, went and stoo
upon the rail as soon as the pheasant ha
Quilted it, but the weight of the bird b
ing insufficient to raise the lid of the be
80 as to enable it to get at the corn, Il
water-hen kept jumping on the rail
give additional impetus to its weigh
this partially succeeded, but not to Il
satisfaction Of the sagacious bird, wi
therefore went off,, and soon returnil
with bird of it, own species, the unit
weight Of the two had the desired cffet