The Bessemer indicator., 1893-02-11
AoMkl HoNx. HoNkI as
Interesting Facts as to tho JourncyinS
of MLKrAtlnK BIrda.

hONk! HCNk! HONk! seS
Interesting racts Is to tho Journcyins
of Migrating Birds.
& Another Arctic expedition returned
from tho North few days ago. says
the Baltimore Sun. Its arrival was
announced by loud 'Honk! Honk!"
fir Up in the sky. It was compdsed 81
eleven members and WIS headed by
a grey victorian. who led his for es ar
ranged In the form Of II letter ".
without tho slightest deviation DUO
south. 1t was tho wild goose expedi-
tion. which. having summcrei In the
Arctic, had decided to " nter in morc
temperate climes
1t is not to be supposed that they
reasoned the question OF a change OF
location among themselvea consulted
nlmanucs and time tables or even
conpnsses to reach their dccisicn or
decide on their course. Their action
was Influenced not by what psycholo-
gists know as higher ocrebration. As
the country folks say they felt it in
their bones that 1t was tim, to move
southward. and south they wont under
tho wonderful influence OF instinct
was far more powerful thing than
it appears now. They asserted that
all the actions OF tho lower animals
were performed through instinct.
and explained that they possessod
this faculty IN lieu OF intelligence,
which was tho peculiar attribute OF
man. This wa. however, soon ex-
ploded by the demonstration OF tho
possession OF intelligence among ami
mails and of instinct by man. In
Iced. the latter philosophers have
como TO believe that almost all tn c
actions Of man nre influenced. II not
controlled by instinct alonG.
The tendency OF migration OF GER
tain species OF animals is plainly re.
'erable to this hereditary influence
Originality no doubt migration oc-
Cured because food was more casily
found in one locality than another.
The hereditary memory. SO TO speak.
pointed out the place where more
rood was to be obtained with less cx-
srtion. Gradually other surrouud-
ings suggested themselves as agree
ablo TO tho embryo mind and these.
repeated through many generations
created that unthinking tendency
toward particular place or climate.
regdrdless OF its original fitness.
Almost all our ideas arc gained
from association. and it is fair to I'm :
agine that the constant and repeated
association OF particular locality
with II pleasurable sensation-the
,ntiation Of hunger for example,.
Hould sooh identify the.sensation With
.he place. Then would be evolved
the sentiment OF home sentiment
which we feel only more keenly than
The lower animals because it is ns-
,ociated not ouly With the place
where thore is something TO eat but
because OF other pleasurable sensa.
lions associated with it as they arc
constantly found in the same locality.
1t is mistake to regard the migra-
| tory instincts Of animals unerrinG.
Every woodsman has observed how q
particular species of bird will appar-
emily desert a certain locality for IN :.
other for ono or moro Seasons Oc-
casionally this may result from
choice, but it seems more probable
that it is from some mistake on the
part OF the birds themselves Their
generally accurate course has been
DETECTED by some circumstance. and
they have made their home elso-
where. In the case OF stragglers this
is particularly marked. They rarely
succeed in reioining the main body to
which they originally belonged. and
are forced to be content with whut.
ever suitable place may be found.
Migratory animals and birds arc
almost always gregarious; that is
they live and especially they travel.
in compact docks or herds They do
this for one reason only that tho
wisdom OF number is greater than
that OF any one. Any error in the
route would be detected by one of
another and thcnco communicated
TO the whole flock. Once in IL while
they arc all mistaken. and then some
rest for the tired little wings or
some hitherto unknown country be-
comes tho now home OF the homo
seekers.
But there is much that is very won
lrrful and awe inspiring in tho i'll
stinct that guides thom. II. indeed.
1t iSmcrely tho reilox OF the memory
OF long departed ancestors-if the
thoughts us well rs the sins OF the
father descend to remote generations
what Tendencies and incinations arc
We transmitting to our children
which may in later generations dc,
velop to good or evil? Are wo steer
ing q straight course. like the old
gray goose?