Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-11-13
A D FOR H YOUNG.
INTELLIGENCE OF BIRDS.

INTELLIGENCE OF BIRDS.
Reason and Ingenuity Displayed by Swat-
housekeeping Special Means to Accom-
plish Particular Ends.
What a tiny little bird the swallow is!
How impossible it seems that SO tiny a
creature should possess the gift of in
telligence! Mr.. Ernest Menault, in his
book on Intelligence of Animals
tells the following stories about swal-
lows, that prove that these little birds
can give us lessons in helpfulness, as
well as to increase our respect for the
little creatures that we sometimes abuse
in a spirit OF selfish fun, or because we
think them too small to have any feel
ing;
Numerous, indeed, are the cases in
which swallows show a sympathy for
the welfare of their a A nest, con-
tanning young, had been beaten down
by long-cont. nued rains, and the brood
was thus exposed to the pelting storm.
Some members of the family innabiting
the house threw a cloth covering over
the ruined nest, and thus saved the
newly-tiedgcd birds from perlshing.
But now loud outcries arose from the
parents, and from other swallows which
instantly tocked to the place. When
the storm had, passed the covering wa
removed, and then an extraordinary
scene was witnessed. The old birds
fed the young, and Immediately all the
assembled swallows set to work in rails
ing an arched earthwork over the nest
lings, and thus e~tfectually protected the
young family. What could a colony of
human settlers have done more for o
neighbor whose house had been de-
stroyed? No theory Of mere instinct
will explain such q proceeding. The
emergency was sudden, the remedy
novel and the means etfectual.
Something like reason is seen in the
following case: An American wren
took possession of a martins nest. from
which the invader could not be expelled.
The martins, however, kept watch over
the intruder. and no sooner did the
wren leave the nest in search for food
than the martins re-cntered, and inn
mediately planned a scheme for keep
ing out the foe. They made the en-
trance so much narrower, and SO
blocked up the passage, that it would
be impossible for the wren to get in
while the owners kept at home. The
enemy soon returned, and at first tried
force, but the strength and range
ment of the defences batfie1 her. The
foe now established a siege, watching
neal the entrance for two days. But
the martins bravely held out in spite Of
hunger, and at last, tile patience of the
wren giving way, she left the skillful
defenders of the fortress in peace.
Here, again, we find birds adopting
special means to accomplish a particu;
lar end.
"Mr. Jesse mentions the following as
illustrating the Intelligence of the swal-
lows in adapting even the materials OF
their nests to special situations. A pair
of these birds built against the wall of
a limekiln chimney. The heat was SO
great as to make the nest crumble to
pieces; a second and even a third shar-
ing the same fate. Some scheme of
making OF collecting a new kind of
material, capable of bearing the heat,
must then have been devised, for the
fourth nest stood. For two succeeding
years the nests were built in the same
place, and always endured the heat
Between the inst unsuccessful and the
last improved works of the little archi-
tects, some progress must have been
made in the composition or working up
of the material for the nest. These
swallows were inventors in some way,
as clearly as Wedgwood was in his
pottery improvements.
"Another incident, mentioned by the
same gentleman, supports a similar con-
clusion. A swallow had selected a
place for her nest in a corner formed by
two walls, but the surface of these be-
ing smooth, the bird could not easily
find any projection on which the foun-
dation of the nest might rest She,
however, managed to fix a bit of clay
on each wall, and then laid q piece OF
light wood on the two clay supports.
This gave her a good foundation, and
the work was securely finished. Is Il
builder who overcomes a structural
difficulty to be counted a clever work
man, while similar triumphs over OBJ
stacles by a bird are all explained by
the vague word instinct?
Gone can we'll understand from these
facts the energy, union, su%bordination
and social spirit employed in common
defense and the general interest.
''When about to migrate, the swal-
lows assemble at some place apparently
agreed, upon beforehand, and. after a
long discussion. which occupies whole
days, they set out in tiocks. 1t is said
that the principal sign which warns
them of the necessity of leaving a
country is the slight elevation of the
sun in autumn Birds are, in fact, very
sensitive to Light Christian Union