The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-10-29
VentriIoquIsm among Birds.

There are many accomplishments
which the lower animals seem to pos
sess inherently, but which man can
only gain through great application.
1t would take a long time for a
boy to learn to make the sort of
snare that spider spins instructive
ly, and a colony of beavers can build
a better dam than can a crowd of I'M
trained men.
One of the human accomplishments
hard to learn is Ventriloquism. 1t
seems to be a gift which comes to but
few of the human species; yet among
birds there are species every indi-
vidual of which possess the power of
making the voice seem to come from
another spot than that in which the
owner Is located.
There seems to be little reason for
this in most cases, but still there
must be some, for nature is very
economical in bestowing her gifts,
and one may be sure that the posses
sion Of the power argues its useful
ness. The first example of ventril-
oquism which will occur to most peo-
people is the voice of the mourning
dove. l suppose that every boy has
been fooled by this bird l know that
l was, and was delighted when l dis
covered, after walking around tree
in the orchard, that the voice did not
come from far away but close at
hand.
When the mourning dove utters
his call he swells up air-sacs in his
breast and neck, and these act as a
sort of sounding chamber, which
tends to hold and repress the sound,
as a sound is made in a barrel. The
emu has the same quality in his
voice. 1t is as though these birds
swallow their voices.
The crow has some notes which
are very ventriloquial in quality. One
note in particular is much like the
bark of a distant dog, so much so, in
fact, that l had trouble in convinc-
ing my friend that it was the voice
of a crow about three hundred feet
away and not that of distant dog,
The chickadee has a call-note OF
such quality that its source is always
uncertain until the bird is located.
The oven birds teacher! teacher
always seems to come from several
feet higher than where the bird is
actually standing.
The thrushes, at least the wood
thrush and the robin, have a peculiar
habit of singing to themselves, as
it were. Often, as have been sitting
in the woods, a wood thrush has
been singing, say, thirty feet away.
which I supposed was at least zoe
yards away, until l discovered the
bird. The whispered song is per.
feet so far as phrasing and notes
are concerned, but in very low key
l have heard a European thrush
sing in cage at the zoo when the
notes could not be heard farther
than fifteen feet. With my ear within
three feet the song was as perfect an6
beautiful as in the ordinary way.
Why these birds sing so, 1 have
no idea.
The peculiar wattles on the neck
of guinea fowl had no Significance
to me until one day when was max
ing a careful drawing of a wilG
guinea fowl. The wild guinea cocl
has wattles as the domestic one, onl!
exaggerated. l noticed that wheI
the cocks beak was toward me hi
harsh call was louder. Then 1 motto
ed that when his beak was open tn,
lower mandible, being lowered, al
most filled the space between tn,
two side wattles, thus making cup
and that the notes were thrown by
sort of megaphone, or just as a BIO,
throws his voice by making a cup o
his hands.-November st. Nicholas.