348 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



siderable, the sparrows again collected in the tree ; and now the hawk 

 rushed out instead of in, and bore a luckless sparrow in his claws. 



I think that we have here all that I claimed, when speaking of 

 ingenuity on the part of adult birds in seeking their food. There 

 was in the above instance a painful consciousness, at first, of failure 

 to secure the desired prey ; there was a determination to succeed, in 

 spite of failure at the start, and a correct determination of the cause 

 of failure, coupled with the invention of a plan by which the difficul- 

 ties might be overcome. What more should be required to demon- 

 strate that the mental powers of lower animals differ from those of 

 man solely in degree ? 



Again, let us consider a case of ingenuity displayed by a bird in 

 successfully avoiding an enemy. Here there is more cause to be 

 surprised at the result, inasmuch as there was no cessation of the at- 

 tack, to give the pursued bird time for considering how best to act 

 under the circumstances ; but, while fleeing for life, it matured a plan 

 of escape that happily succeeded. This instance of ingenuity on the 

 part of a pursued bird I have already related {Land and Water, 

 March 2, 1872), but, considering it more remarkable than any other 

 that has occurred to my knowledge, and having witnessed a repetition 

 of it, two years later, I again relate it, in preference to other instances 

 I have noted, bearing upon the same subject. The case is that of a 

 " king-rail " [Rallus elegans), which my spaniel flushed in open ground, 

 the grass not being tall enough to conceal it. The bird trusted wholly 

 to running, and kept clear of the dog; frequently it "doubled," and 

 seemed to enjoy the chase; but, evidently becoming somewhat fatigued, 

 as shown by the nearer approach of the spaniel, it ceased doubling, 

 but, running in a straight line some distance, it allowed the dog to 

 get within a foot or more, when it jumped, with a single flap of its 

 wings, a foot or more from the ground; then dropping down quickly 

 behind the dog, it turned and ran in the opposite direction, gaining 

 considerable ground before the impetuous spaniel could check its speed, 

 turn about, and follow. Here, again, as we would express it, in describ- 

 ing any human experience, " the circumstances of the case were taken 

 into consideration" by the pursued bird, and, without taking to flight, 

 as would seem the more natural act, it surmounted the difficulties, and 

 effected its escape. I can conceive of no other way of explaining this 

 action of the rail-bird, than by admitting that a train of thought passed 

 through the brain of the bird that it thought, " If I can gain time, I 

 am safe," just as any pursued person would think that, if he could 

 reach some spot, be heard, etc., he would be safe. And, while yet run- 

 ning at great speed, the bird thought of an ingenious plan, by which 

 it did gain time, and reached the reedy creek-bank in safety 



It might be argued that a single act of a bird, at some one time, 

 and under peculiar circumstances, does not constitute a habit that it 

 simply chanced to do so and so; but a second occurrence of the kind 



