The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-21
HOW BIRDS TALK.
A GOVERNAfENT EXPERT Sd rs THAI
THEIR
Language is Much superior to That of

Monkeys
Much interest has been taken in the
scientific world of late about the lang.
uages of various animals, and as oul
readers know, museum for this study
has been established at the Univ ersit5
Of Pennsylvania. The popular notion
has been that the monkeys would be
found to possess the most highly de
veloped language, as they are high in
the scale of evolution. But now comes
some testimony in favor of bird langu-
age. Professor Nelson r. Wood, the
taxidermist of the National Museum
here at Washington, has been studying
bird sounds for years. Last week he
talked with a Washington correspond
emit, giving the gist of his conclusions
most entertainingly and instructivaly
as follows:
Il don't want to be understood as cay
ing that it is of a high order of develop
| ment," said Professor Wood because
| long study of the subject has Develop
ed the fact that the language of birds,
while sufficient for their somewhat linz
| tied needs, is necessarily crude. And
yet ] do not hesitate to say that bird
/ language Is far ahead of anything
thus far developed by or likely to come
of Investigations into the talk of monk
eys
'As ] said recently before the Ameri-
can 0rnithologists' Union, the language
of birds is now we'll enough defined by
careful study to classify ii as such 1t
is impossible to demonstrate in print
practically how far progress has been
made in the development of bird angu-
age, because it is only correctly initial
ing the various sounds of birds notes
expressing different feelings that we
can demonstrate the wonderful gifts
they have.
AN interesting phase of the study of
bird language is the discovery that it
is not the most highly developed birds
that have the greatest variety of sounds
expressing different things, and there
fore the largest vocabulary, On the
contrary the common field crow has a
vocabulary more expressive and of
wider range than many of the finest
song birds. In all the comparisons,
however, / except the parrot, which |
regard as more Of a human than bird
1.-The bird language has notes indicat~
ing all the emotions-enVy. love jeal-
ousy contentment, alarm. pain, pleas
ure, 1t is sufficiently comprehensive
for the needs of the different families,
and that it is thoroughly understood
even by the young birds at an early
age is demonstrated to the satisfaction
of all who have given the subject any
serious and intelligent consideration
Il assert that the language of birds
is of a higher order than anything 1t
is possible to make out Of the chatter
of "a band of monkeys. And yet / do
not place the bird ahead of the monk
ey in the scale of Intelligence. 1t is
the monkeys initiative faculty which
impresses us. His chattering sounds
are not susceptible Of intelligent grada-
ton into more than the simpler ex-
pressions
THE American wild turkey, one Of
the finest fowls of the Western world. |
or the Eastern for that matter, affords
one of the best illustrations of the YER a
tility of bird language. 1t has vo-
cabulary Of a least a dozen words we'll
defined For inetance its constant peril |
from half dozen sources, overhead and |
underfoot renders necessary different |
notes to express the kind of danger |
whether immediate or prospective, and |
the source whether in the air or on the 1
ground For danger overhead, as from |
hawk or an eagle where the peril is |
still remote the turkey has a low note, /
well drawn out, which cautions every |
member of the flock. For immediate I
danger it gives an entirely different |
note, quick sharp, prolonged, tremul-
GUS, meaning, Hide! The Enemy The !
enemy
when danger threatens from fox .
or a dog a distinct signal must be used. I
From the hawk or the eagle the turkey /
must hide on the ground in the under I
brush From the dog or the fox he I
must fly up into the trees. Thus, when .
the dog or the fox appears the signal to
fly is given. The same note as the fly
ing signal is used when there IS a suspi-
cion of danger on the ground, except |
that the note is prolonged instead of
being quickly uttered. The instant the
warning of danger from an unknown
enemy on the ground is heard every
bird in the flock ceasese feeding. With
necks elongated, looking carefully in
every direction the flock circles around
until it has covered an area great
to show that the alarm was
groundless
when feeding in a field where the
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