The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-02

The naturalist quietly called the atten-
ton OF his companion to red eyed Vlreo
IA 1t fitted to its hidden nest among the
low reaching branches Of the maple under
whose shade they sat close to the shore OF
Manhasset Bay one recent Sunday after
noon.
Then he quickly cut and trimmed long
switch, thrust pin through the end. and
upon the pin secured a tiny insect captured
| in the grass Very slowly and patiently
he raised the switch until the pin point
was close to the bill Of the little bird. Inc
! tidbit was accepted after momentary
questioning glance.
| soft little beetle, with red thorax
and black wing cases, was next ohered'
| Tho yireo reached for this as the switch
approached, but tasted it before eating the
beetle. It continued tasting motion with
it's bill, without taking the insect from
the pin, until . profuse white froth came
! from it's throat. Then the bird settled
hack in the nest in q way that meant:
| mo, thank you'll
The naturalist examined the beetle.
He found 1t to be one Of those insects pro-
tected by an atrocious odor.
The next proffer to the yireo was accept
able, a black ant. A mosquito was also
taken, but little grasshopper was re-
jected.
The bird showed quick appreciation OF
the naturalist's doings and watched the
proceedings with obvious and expectant
| interest. The little incident seemed to
explain the success attained by animal
| mt onaaCn-
less associates on this earth are much more
quick to learn than man in general has been
ready to believe.
Before long we could get the bird to come
to us for the insects when we called, re-
marked the naturalist. yes, have done
| it.
The special purpose Of the experiment
with the vireo was to give practical demon
stration of the new methods Of nature study.
These methods were recently referred to IN
THE sun as "a new development in nature
science, vastly more fascinating and SYM
pathetic than the older though necessary,
shotgun and stuffed skin method
By following the new methods a small
number Of workers have attained some
unique results, in the way Of getting closer
to the sympathies and the minds Of creatures
whose speech is different from the languages
Of man. The beginnings OF natural history
| dealt with the bodily forms, the structural,
| anatomical or astrological products Of
animate action. Then came the studies
guided by the imperfectly realized ideal OF
the ST. Louis Exposition, Processes rather
than products" studies such as the newer
biology.
The older work involved the shotgun and
rife. The new tendency directs attention
| to living animals in their natural homes,
collecting data on which later may be
based congratulations regarding the Pile
nomena OF their consciousness, not yet in
the progress of science to be read in struc-
| ture or protoplasmio tissue.
| 1t tends toward the discovery OF a more
effective medium OF communication between
man and his varied terrestrial relatives, to
the perception OF closer bonds OF sym
pathy and mutual appreciation. and to
fuller recognition that human skulls do not
! hold all the brains on earth This study
may be expected to remove some OF the
assumed distinctions between the minds Of
animals and man; also, perhaps. to en-
phasize new differences. The development
may hope even to formulate something like
an animal sociology, throwing perhaps
collateral light on human affairs.
A broad study Of the significance OF ami
nal cries bears on the beginnings of spoken
language and the origin of man as the dis
tinctively linguistic and therefore sociolog-
ica animal Work like that OF Lubbock
on the doings of the ant, much more en-
phatically a socialist than man has yet be-
come, may be classed with studies which
little later in scientific progress may come
! to be grouped as representatives of the
new development.
Whatever may or may not be granted
concerning the positiveness Of results at
tanned, the effort to collect Photographic
records Of monkey cries among their native
trees is another isolated suggestion of the
new tendency to learn deeper facts by
methods obviously much more difficult than
merely shooting an animal at easy range
and preserving its skin.
The new nature study requires the eI-
ercise Of unlimited sympathetic patience.
Indeed, observers say that the animal mind
is much like the child mind. Animal
study along the lines of the new develop
ment may be regarded ne collateral to
child study. itself one of the new sciences.
1t is the practise of these observers to put
| themselves into relations of familiarity
with a bird or a squirrel or coyote or a
the infants plane in communicating with
it. Equipped with natural gift for reoog-
nizing each individual bird note or animal