The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-15

John Burroughs Disputes Some o
seton ThOmpsOn's Statements.

John Burroughs Disputes Some Of
Seton ThOmpson's Statements.
Atlantic Monthly. -.....-.s,--.--
For forty years I have seen crows in win
ter in different parts of the country. pass
ing to and fro between their rookeries and
their feeding grounds, and have never
seen anything like leadership among them.
They leave their roostiDg places at day
break and dispense north and south or east
and west to their feeding grounds, going in
loose struggling bands and silently, except
in early spring. and they return at night in
the same way. flying low II it is stormy
and windy. and high if it is calm. rising up
or steering OFF if they see q gunner or
other suspicious object, but making no
sound, uttering no signal notes. They all
have eyes equally sharp and do not need
to be warned. They are all on the alert.
When feeding they do post sentry, and
he caws when danger approaches. and
fakes to wing. They do not dart into a
bush when pursued by king bird or a
purple martin; they are not afraid of a
hawk; they cannot count six, though such
traditions exist (Silver Spot could count
thirtyD; they do not cav when you stand
under them in winter to turn their course,
they do not drill their young, they do not
flock together in June; they cannot worry
a fox into giving up half his dinner; they
do not, so far as we know. have perpetual
sentries; they have no calls that, so far
as we know, answer to our words, Mount"
these a6s Other poipta
my observations differ radically from Mr..
Thompson-Seton's.
Mr.. Long doubtless got the hint of his
ridiculous book from Mr.. Thompson-Seton' S
story of the crow, wherein he speaks Of a
certain old pine woods as the crows for
tress and college: Here they find secur-
ity i'm numbers and in lofty yet sheltered
ing and are taught all the secrets of sue
cess in crow life, and in crow life the least
failure does not simply mean can begin again;
false one before Mr.. Long stole it, and he
has pushed it to such length that il be-
comes simply ridiculous. There is not a
shadow of truth in it, 1t is simply one
of Mr.. Thompson-Seton's strokes of fancy.
The crows do not train their young. They
have no fortress, or schools. or colleges,
or examining boards, or diplomas. or med
telephones, or postal deliveries, or anything
OF the sort. Indeed, the poorest backwoods
hamlet has more of the appurtenances of
civilization than the best-organized crow or
other wild animal community in the land!
There is a school of woods, just as much
as there is a church of the woods. or a
parliament Of the woods, or Society of
United Charities Of the woods. and no
MORE there is nothing in the dealings of
animals with their young that in the re-
hottest way suggests human instruction
and discipline The young of all the wild
creatures do instinctively what their par
ents do and did. They do not have TO be
taught: they are taught from the jump.
The bird sings at the proper age, and
builds its nest, and takes its appropriate
food, without any hint at all from its par
ents. The young ducks take to the water
when Matched by a hen as readily as when
Matched by a duck, and dive and stalk in
sects, and wash themselves just as their
mothers did. Young chickens and young
turkeys understand the various calls and
signals of their mother the first time they
hear or see them. At her alarm note they
squat, at her call to food they come, on the
first day as on the tenth. The habits of
cleanliness of the nestlings are established
from the first hour of their lives. When a
bird comes to build its first nest TO rear
it's first brood, it knows how to proceed, as
did before Ii. The fox is afraid of a. trap
before he has had any experience with 1T,
and the hare thumps upon the ground at
the sight Of anything strange and unusual
whether its ma ties be within hearing or not
IL Is true that the crows and the jays might
be called the spies and informers OF the
woods and that other creatures seem 70
understand the meaning Of their cries but
who shall presume to say that they have
been instructed in this vocation? Mr.. Long
would have us believe that the crows teach
their young to fly. He might as we'll say
that the rooster. teaches Its young to crow.
males TO drum. No bird teaches its young
to fly. They fly instinctively when thdr
wings are strong enough.