Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-08-27
INTELLIGENCE OE BIRDS

Two Geese That Took Delight In Playing
Tricks on Chickens.
A question which is getting moro
now than formerly Is
that of the intelligence of animals,
moro especially dogs and birds. Any
ono who will take the trouble to
make 100 clippings OF newspaper
articles relating the actions Of birds
will be convinced of their intelli-
gence. There are jokers, actors,
artists, gentlemen, toughs and many
another variety among them CORE
spending to human characters SO
nearly as to lead n writer to suggest
that men are not improved monkeys,
but only degenerate birds.
OF barnyard fowls tho geese are
the most Intelligent 1t is related
of pair of geese that they used to
round up the chickens which strayod
in from the noighbors' and play
FRANKS with them for tho fun of it.
One day n dozen of noighbor's hen
flock came visiting, and the geese
entertained them. Tho chickens
wore Corralled i'll fence corner, and
tho geese tapped their wings and
Missed, showing great Joy when the
chickens exhibited fear Just then
the farmer came out and began to
feed his flock. Between hen batting
and eating the geese did not know
what to do. Thoy wanted to eat and
would begin to cat. Then the chick
ems would start away. That made
the geese SO uneasy that thoy could
not cat. After bit tho chickens
started along tho fence toward a
little stream of water with Is inch
high banks. On seeing this tho geese
stopped eating and went to the
stream and swan down it toward
the spot for which tho hens were
headed and duckod their heads so
that the chickens could not see them.
Arriving at tho crossing place, tho
geese jumped into the air with flap
ping wings and tried to catch one of
tho chickens, but they were too
slow, and tho Chickens went over
the fonco liked scared crows. If the
geese had caught tho chickens, tho
feathers would have flown, for the
geese delighted in plucking tho
feathers out of n captive.
Every hunter for birds eggs is
familiar with feathered actors. The
female birds of most species will do
almost anything to save their young.
They pretend to be lame, to have
broken wings, to be injured in some
way in order to lure tho intruder
away from their nests.
The student of the domestic life
of birds will not be disappointed by
seeing many feathered tyrannical
husbands, though there are such
birds without doubt. 1t is related
of n house martin that it selected a
wife and built nest and was living
in domestic peace when another
martin, widow perhaps or perhaps
one of those evil minded birds,
counterpartS of which are found in
NAO t"SCt ShIlc alOuR, anu
there was a marked change in the
actions of the male toward its mate.
In the end tho wife was deserted.
A similar story is told by an OBJ
server who raised a number of wild
geese and had pair that for two
years had mated. He got three more
"A gander and two geese - and
straightway the original gander
showed a marked preference for one
of the newcomers. 1t at first walk
ed away when its wife approached
and then began to abuse her. It
mated with the newcomer, roundly
abused tho other, and the grass
widow never married again, but al
ways after seemed to be of a melan-
choly disposition. though before she
had evidently been happy.-New
York Sun.