The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-13

his supper SO il went on till the two
reached a larger tree on the place, where
/ saw that the other young bluebirds had
been assembled, and there am sure they
passed the night.
Music lessons are among the most
charming things TO hear in the bird
world. The young singer begins quite
early to initiate the song of his parent
and twice / have heard this perform
ance, which | can explain in no other way
than as deliberate ins truction-though l
am open to conviction if any one can oifer
a more plausible solution. The elder bird
sang out loud and clear one clause Of
his song, then paused while the weak
young voice essayed an imitation, quay
ering, uncertain and quite faulty attempt
to repeat the strain, doing the same thing
over and over. Another observer assures
me that he has heard an owl giving its
young lessons in hooting.
Experiences like these which may be
enjoyeRby any earnest and patient OBJ
server place it beyond doubt that the
young bird, no less than the human being,
has to be educated
One of the most exciting things 10
watch in the progress of the young bird
to grown-upt Iife is learning the use of
his wings. Each species, l may almost
say each individual, has its own way.
When the young orchard oriole finds
his pretty hammock too confined and
begins to feel his wings, he mounts the
edge Of the nest, then cautiously climbs
to the most convenient branch, half hop
ping half flying from twig to twig and
from leaf stem to leaf stem, till he has
reached the topmost perch on the branch.
and not until he has enjoyed and tired Of
that dizzy hight does he trust himself
t.. shis wings.
Baltimore orioles have seen come up
to the edge of the nest one by one and
survey the new world from that position
for some time without attempting to climb
and then launch off for a more distant
point than their own tree. Often, alas
they come to the ground before reaching
their goal and throw the whole family
into great distress. Sometimes a young
one suffering this misfortune runs fran
tically about in the grass, a helpless victim
to the first boy or beast that comes along
while the parents are flying madly about
overhead; but occasionally one Of the
little ones is clever enough to run to the
nearest tree, and, by half climbing, half
flying from one excrescence to another,
succeeds in reaching the lower branch. l
have seen a young blue jay, who fell
10 the ground in his first flight, do the
same thing.
The moment the young Baltimore
reaches <the edge of the nest he begins to
cry, which hardly ceases for a moment
while he is awake for many days. 1t
is loud and insistent. and in oriole neigh
borhoods the July days echo with 1t on
every side. The second nesting of this
family, as I have seen it, never appears
on the edge till the first has flown. SOM
times there will be several days between
the departure of the first and the last OF
the brood.
Young king birds, on the contrary, stand
up on the edge of their castle in the air.
at intervals and in parties and exercise
their wings for days before they take the
final plunge and, perhaps, owing to this
precauton, they usually reach their goal.
In the only wren family ever saw take
flight the whole brood of five, being star
tied took wing at once, and, without
a moments preliminary practice or an in
stant's hesitation, few with heavy. la
bored flights in five diatfent ways, from
10 to 20 feet from the nest