2IO NATURAL SCIENCE. March. 



Fifth Day. — Chicks. — One of the birds, bolder than the rest, 

 would eat large flies with relish. I threw in a bee. Most of the 

 chicks were afraid, as they were of large flies. The bolder chick, 

 however, snapped it up and ran off" with it. Then he dropped it and 

 shook his head, wiping his bill. Probably he tasted the poison and 

 was not stung ; in any case, he was quite lively and unconcerned in a 

 few minutes; but he did not touch the bee again. The chicks preened 

 their down early on this day. If they had done so before, I failed to 

 note the fact. Later in the day I put beneath a tumbler a large fly 

 and a small humble bee with a sting. Two of the chicks ran round 

 the tumbler pecking at the insects. I let the bee escape. The bolder 

 chick seized it, dashed it against the ground, and swallowed it with- 

 out a wink. With another group of chicks I first gave bees, which 

 were seized but soon let alone, and then Eristalis. They were left 

 untouched. Their resemblance to the bees was protective. Later I gave 

 Eristalis again, and induced one of the chicks to seize it by pecking 

 at it with my pencil. He ran off with it, chased by others. It was 

 taken from him and swallowed. The other Eristalis insects were left 

 untouched, but one was subsequently eaten. 



Ducklings. — I placed some frog tadpoles in their water. They 

 were soon spied and eaten greedily. The vulgarity of the duckling 

 as a feeder is painful to witness. 



Sixth Day. — Chicks. — I gave them their tin without water. They 

 stood in it and pecked, one lifting its head. They scratched at the 

 bottom vigorously, and pecked again and again. On this day they 

 frequently stood up, stretching out their necks and fluttering their 

 wings. They may, however, have begun to do this earlier. Several 

 of them pecked at a sleepy wasp, but soon let it alone. I made a 

 number of experiments on this and the previous day with regard to 

 their ability to catch flies on the wing, placing the insects under a 

 tumbler. The birds pecked at them as seen through the glass. 

 I then let them, one by one, escape. The chicks made a dash at 

 them, but never succeeded in catching one, though they caught one 

 or two as they crawled out and before they had taken flight. I tried 

 also with tumblers covered with cards. I may add that up to thirteen 

 days I have never yet once seen a fly captured on the wing by either 

 a chick or a duckling, though I have often seen them struck at. 



Ducklings. — Each morning, at nine o'clock, I had placed in their 

 pen a large black tray, and on it a flat tin containing water. To this 

 they eagerly ran, drinking and washing in it. On the sixth morning 

 I gave them the tray and tin in the usual way, but without any water. 

 They ran to it, scooped at the bottom, and made all the motions 

 of the beak as if drinking. They squatted in it, dipping their heads 

 and waggling their tails as usual. For some ten minutes they con- 

 tinued to wash in non-existent water (association). I then gave them 

 water. I threw them a bee : one of them seized it and swallowed it. 

 Possibly he was stung. He kept on scratching his beak — first on one 



