New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-06
THE ANIMAL CONSCIENCE
Varying Degrees of Industry
Proclaim Inner Moods.


bee have been held up as the most praise
worthy opponents of animal industry, and
there is no doubt that each of them is
we'll entitled 10 the honor. At the same
time there are many other creatures
whose energy is justly entitled 10 mans
admiration and some of them might Ger
tsinly be included in the same category
as the first two mentioned. The wasp is
a good case in point for although that
creature has come under the ban of con-
domination by reason OF its often mis-
chievous behavior il is according TO its
own lights and if it is to be judged with
absolute impartality, just as industrious
as the bee The latter certainly works
more days in the year. but then the wasp
has TOO choice IN this matter. seeing that
II has been ordained 10y nature not TO be-
gin its annual lahors until some months
later ,han its rival But once the wasp
sets TO work IT puts in an even longer day
than the bee.
The various degrees Of selhshness and
unselhshness which enter into the life
work of every creature afford an endless
theme of interest for those who care to
study the subject The British cuckoo is
probably a selfish a worker as could be
found in the whole world. and this is the
more curious seeing that there are other
species of the same genius whose char
acteristics are of an exactly opposite kind
The British cuckoo is not quite 50 lazy as
it was once declared TO be by the school
hoy who defined il as being "a bird what
doesn't lay its own eggs; but every one
Il a.
that necessary effort toward the contin-
uation of its race. it has no further in
terest in the matter No other bird in the
world is quite so lazy as this. but there
are many others which dispense as far as
possible with the execution of what would
seem 10 he their 6rst duty in life
In some species the labor OF nest build
ing is left entirely to the female while
in others even the feeding of the offspring
Is wholly neglected 10y the male. Though
said to be an exemplary bird in his native
. land, the average cock pheasant Of our
woods takes practically no interest in do
nestle matters once MS consort begins to
sit. though it must be said in Justice 10
this ordinarily lazy bird that he has been
discovered on very rare occasions assist
ID
The cock partridge. on the other hand.
makes 1t his duty TO assist his mate ON
all possible occasions. \ot only does be.
assist IN the Matching he is invariably
to be seen sitting on the nest with the
hen bird just previous 90 tine appearance.
of the yOung-but he also displays The
most assiduous care and anxiety Tor ms
family's welfare throughout the stage Of
their infancy and adolesceuC.. So much
l. this the case that if any accident
should cause the death Of the hen part
fridge. her widOwer Will take upon him
self the whole of the parental duties. and
often brings matters to d successful issue.
The male pigeon is an equally devoted
husband and father. taking turns with his
mate in brooding over the eggs and doing
his fun share of protecting and feeding
the young afterward.
IL is sometimes difficult perhaps. to
draw the line between industry and IDLE
ness in the case Of certain creatures Tor
even the most painstaking efforts would
occasionally seem to be quite unproduc-
tive. A water vole, for example. will
spend the best part OF morning biting
off the rushes on the river bank. and. so
far as one can see. his labor is entirely
i'm vain You may watch him ever 50 in
tently. and yet be unable 10 discover that
he eats or makes any other use Of the
product OF his industry.
The rook. again. affords q good exam
pie of what one may call wasted energy.
lie and his mate Will spend weeks N
building a nest simply as it seems. FOR
the fun OF pulling IL 10 pieces afterward.
for that is what often happens. And what
A prodigious amount of trouble the bird
takes in collecting material that is never
destined to play any part in his archi-
iectural schemes, Frequently for every
stuck that is used in the nest two more
are dropped on the ground beneath, and
il is very rarely that the rock thinks
il worth while to pick up that which he
has taken so much pains 10 collect, Dos
siblv from a long distance Most birds
waste a great deal Of their nesting ma
,erial and some seem TO use far more
than they really need. There is great
deal Of difference between the nests Of
individuals OF the same species, parucu-
larlv in the case OF the tits, the nests Of
some being often twice the size of those
built by others.
The pluck that some creatures exhibit
i'm their Industrial undertakings is truly
remarkable. and can only be likened TO
the wonderful perseverance of the prim-
tive savage, who with flint tool first
worked out the stem OF tree into
scrvlceabe boat. The beaver cheerfully
sets to work to fell tree that Will take
him weeks to gnaw through. and the
woodpecker lsbors necessarily for weeks
On end to bore hole in the unylelulng
Trunk OF some massive OAK. 1t is quite
a mistake 10 suppose that this bird al
WAYS chooses for it's operations tree
that is rotten toward its core. The hard
est tree in the world must yield to the
adamantine strength OF the woodpeckers
Hill and the determined energy of its
owner. But even the woOdpecker's indus
FRY is perhaps not equal 10 that OF the
sparrow and many other BIRDS whlch
never rest more than few minutes IN
the course Of the day from the almost
endless TASK OF feeding their clamorous