VARIATION IN THE HABITS OF ANIMALS. 6zi 



water, and dive again for his nest. As soon as his owners felt 

 convinced that he wished to rear a brood of his own, he was sup- 

 plied with fresh hen's eggs. He continued thus to persist in his 

 conduct for more than two weeks. Then the turkey hen appeared 

 in the poultry yard with her brood. During that day the male 

 turkey was observed to take food frequently. His visits to the 

 poultry yard became more and more prolonged, while the inter- 

 vals spent upon the eggs grew shorter and shorter, until finally, 

 after the elapse of two or possibly three days, the nest of hen's 

 eggs was abandoned altogether. From that time on he shared 

 with the turkey hen the care of the brood of his own kind. The 

 abandoned eggs were placed under a hen and hatched in a few 

 days. This instance is not without interest as it stands, but it is 

 much to be regretted that the eggs did not hatch while the male 

 turkey sat upon them. Would he have abandoned his living- 

 brood with the same or with more reluctance than he showed in 

 deserting the eggs, or would he have reared his adopted offspring ? 



One other most remarkable instance of a change of habit came 

 under my observation also in Coffey County, Kansas. The indi- 

 viduals which showed a change of habit in this instance were 

 birds in the wild state namely, blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata). 

 I say individuals, for a score or even scores of blue jays were 

 concerned. These all adopted the same peculiar practice in their 

 warfare with the so-called English sparrow (Passer domesticus), 

 and, moreover, have preserved this habit for at least three succes- 

 sive years. 



Since the arrival of the aggressive English sparrow much 

 apprehension has been felt by bird-loving Americans regarding 

 the fate of native American birds. As the area of distribution of 

 the English sparrow rapidly widened, just so rapidly our native 

 birds seemed to be brought into violent conflict with the garru- 

 lous stranger, or else they were driven to abandon to the new- 

 comer their nesting sites and retire into the forests or prairies. 

 The question arose as to whether the English sparrow itself on 

 account of numbers would be driven from the cities and towns to 

 take up nesting sites about country barns and farmhouses. The 

 Report of the United States Department of Agriculture for the 

 year 1889 on The English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North 

 America, especially in its Relation to Agriculture, contains com- 

 munications from many parts of the country testifying, not only 

 to the destruction wrought by this sparrow in gardens and upon 

 ripening grain fields, but also to the fact that few American 

 birds seem to be able to resist the aggressions of this sparrow, and 

 many therefore are compelled to abandon their nests to the in- 

 truders, even after their eggs have been deposited or are in process 

 of incubation. 



