BIRD GENEALOGY 



and, moreover, as a lover of native birds and 

 a sworn enemy of these avian rats, I was 

 bound to destroy them, I cast about for a 

 method which would least disturb my peace 

 of mind, for I did not think they would much 

 care, being so infantile and inexperienced. I 

 therefore dropped them into a basin of tepid 

 water, expecting the inert masses to sink, or 

 at least that their wabbly heads would fall 

 below the surface. But presto-change! the 

 creatures at once became endowed with life 

 and vigor as if upon their native heath once 

 more, and, with a combination of rapid wing- 

 strokes and leg action and with necks out- 

 stretched, they scudded across the surface of 

 the miniature pond. They could not have 

 done it better if they had tried, and I do not 

 imagine they tried at all, but that the action 

 was reflex and instinctive, — entirely willy- 

 nilly on their part. 



Blood will out, the crocodile ancestry was 

 working. To make sure that this was not an 

 accident, with malice aforethought, I dropped 

 a young red-winged blackbird into the pool 

 below his nest. He, too, performed in exactly 

 the same manner, and safely reached some 

 reeds, up which he scrambled, and was there 



283 



