cord". At birth the placenta detaches itself from the lining of the uterus, 

 and then the umbilical cord is torn and broken off close to the infant's 

 abdomen, leaving the familiar scar, or navel. 



Behavior of Parents Among the mammals, and to a less degree among 

 the birds, the long dependence of the young upon their parents is associated 

 with corresponding behavior of parents and offspring. The hen clucks a danger 

 signal and the chicks rush to cover under her wings: she enfolds them and 

 threatens to fight anybody who comes near. The cow licks her calf with her 

 tongue, and the calf seems to like it. If you try to take the eggs from an eagle's 

 nest, or to touch the young, you run the risk of a dangerous attack by the 

 adults. The ferocity of the mothers of the cat family is notorious. And with 

 most species of birds and mammals, the young behave in relation to the 

 adults in a manner that impresses us with its fitness, its adaptability to the 

 needs of the organisms or of the species. 



On the whole, the most dependent of infants do normally get off on their 

 own at last; and then they seem to have a fuller equipment of life tricks and 

 reserves than those which get on their feet more promptly after birth. There 

 are great variations as to the length of time that the offspring depend upon 





MOTHER LOOKING AFTER HER YOUNG^ 



The raccoon feeds and protects her young ones until they ore about a year old 

 1 From Lool^ at Life, by Lynwood Chace. By permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 



425 



