652 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



in every case the covering is a dead loss to the plant, except in so far 

 as it aids the dispersion of seeds ; and that it must have been devel- 

 oped over and over again in a thousand different cases by the action 

 of the most widely different birds. It is impossible to believe that 

 such a coincidence can be due to accident, impossible to doubt that it 

 results from a genuine taste for sweet flavors. 



There is even some reason to believe that birds care for and dis- 

 criminate other tastes besides the fundamental distinctions of sweet 

 and bitter. All the small birds in Jamaica are particularly fond of 

 the little scarlet capsicums grown in gardens, and devour them so 

 greedily, that the fruit has acquired the common name of bird-peppers. 

 If we remember how very hard is often the almost horny covering of 

 a bird's tongue, there is nothing remarkable in the fact that the pun- 

 gency of the capsicum should be felt as an agreeable stimulant, prob- 

 ably having effects analogous to those of mustard, water-cress, or pep- 

 permint, with human beings. The oft-quoted liking of tropical pigeons 

 for the nutmeg, with its aromatic coating of mace, points in the same 

 direction. Parrots in captivity frequently display very decided prefer- 

 ences and antipathies in their food. Owls can not be induced to taste 

 meat in the slightest degree tainted. Again, all birds have a most 

 accurate notion of the difference between ripe fruits and the unripe 

 sour ones, besides carefully choosing the sunny side of j>eaches, pears, 

 and apricots. The very frequency of distinct sapid principles in fruits 

 would seem to favor the same supposition, as they have probably been 

 acquired for the special allurement of particular species. Indeed, the 

 more we consider the origin and nature of succulent fruits, the more 

 does it become clear that they have been developed to suit the tastes 

 of animals having essentially identical sensations with our own. 



The case of the nutmeg leads us naturally on to the consideration 

 of smell. Here we may conclude with great probability that the large 

 class of aromatic fruits has acquired its perfume for the sake of attract- 

 ing birds, especially when we recollect that flowers have acquired exactly 

 similar perf umes for the sake of attracting insects. And although the 

 possession of scent as a means of sexual allurement is rare among birds, 

 being probably confined to the musk-duck and a few other species, 

 yet it occurs frequently among butterflies, and is represented among 

 mammals by the musk-deer, beaver, and many other ruminants or 

 rodents. Curiously enough, the similarity of taste thus testified ex- 

 tends to the vegetal world in the case of the musk-plant ; while ev.en 

 certain carnivores, such as the cat tribe, are extremely fond of " vale- 

 rian, lemon-thyme, camomile, lavender, and many plants rich in essen- 

 tial oils." On the other hand, a good observer notes that cats have 

 their dislikes, and he has often seen a tabby " smell at a fig-tree, and 

 turn away with the disgusted air of a connoisseur." We have no such 

 strong facts in the case of birds, but the frequency of perfumes in those 

 fruits which depend upon them for the dispersion of their seeds, coupled 



