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A Hetht’s WILD FRIENDS, on ElGHTEEN Yeans IN THE Wooos. By Mason A. WALTON. Dana Estes 8: Co., Boston. tame, xii+ 304, pp., numerous illustra- tinns.
It is one thing to have opportunity, but quite another to take advantage of it. The author of this book, for example, during his eighteen years' residence in the woods, had rare opportunity to learn much of his wild neighbors; but lack ot proper scientific training, combined with an ignorance of, or disregard for, the studies of other ob- servers, has made the record he here presents not only a worthless but a positively harlnhll addition to the list of hooks on the habits of animals.
The book is filled witll unwarranted con»
elusions, Crows and Chickadees and, fi- nally, all birds from "Eagles down to Hummingbirds," are said to mate tor life:
but not a shred of evidence is given to sup— port this sweeping assertion. Crows were seen to "talk" to a Hawk in a " low tone," and "it was evident that they were telling him that his loud screams would bring all the hunters of Cape Ann to the spot "! The sex of birds which differ neither in size not plumage is determined in some tin. explained way without question, and indi— vidual birds are recognized year after y ar without evident consideration of the pos is bility ot error. bird to know one of its own kind without instruction is considered a "miracle." Con- sequently it is essential, according to otlr author, that the young Cowhird be tutored by " its own mother ” (that is, the bird that laid the egg from which it was hatched). The manner of reasoning pursued in reach- ing this conclusion, and. indeed, through- out the book, is well illustrated by the inci» dent of the Cowhird and Yellow Warblers (pages 2n—2t6), A Cowhird was seen to "flutter" on to the nest of a pair of Yellow Warblers and "add her parasite egg“ to the two Yellow Warbler eggs already in the nest. The Yellow Warblers on return-
Nevertheless, lot a Cow-
ing discussed the matter. and it was de» ctded that the female lay no more eggs. since, it is stated, they "intelligently under- stood that they must sacrifice their first brood in order to raise asecontl brood unmolestedt” "After the egg was laid" was thong/rt that the female Cowhird " visited the nest several times a day," but the statement that “her frequent visits had accustomed the young birds to her presence" is made with- out the qualifying “think.” The young Yellow Warblers were crowded out of the nest at the age of one day by the young Cowhird when he was two days old, but whether
two
the act was seen or inferred is not stated. "One day,” some time after the young Cowhird had left the nest, the female Yellowbird was missed, and "alter a long search.“ was round "engaged in building a new nestt" The young Cowhird was now "looked up" and found under the care of the male Yellow \Varbler, assisted by "the old (Iowbird," and several days later the Warbler deserted his charge to re- turn and help his mate with her second brood.
After these observations the question is asked, "\Vhy do young Cowbirds lay eggs in other birtls‘ nests. instead of building nests for themselves? " and in the following remarkable paragraph: " When the Cowhird was out of the shell it was big and black. Cowhird, and I thought it was a male, I made it a male in my noterhook. While the bird was on the nest I fastened a hit of copper wire to its leg, and the next spring, when it returned, I found that the bird was a female. I saw her with another female, I think it was the mother. visiting hirds’ nests. to lay its eggs in other birds‘ nests. building is educational and not instinctive."
Further quotations would only furnish additional sumption anti dogmatism, should not consider the book at this length were it not to protest against the publication
it is answered
It was my first young
So the young Cowhird was educated st-
illustrations of the author’s as» Indeed, we
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