274 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



with a few remarks upon the mental powers 

 of birds that are called into play for nest-build- 

 ing. Birds' nests have long been regarded as 

 one of the most convincing proofs of blind 

 instinct. Birds are popularly believed not only 

 to be hatched with the power of singing the 

 song peculiar to their species, but with an in- 

 herited knowledge of how to build their special 

 type of nest, without tuition or experience. 

 But such an assumption is not supported by 

 one iota of fact or proof. On the other hand, 

 all the evidence at present available tends to 

 show that birds are not hatched with any in- 

 stinctive power to make a nest, but that they 

 have to acquire the art by imitating the work 

 of others — the nest in which they were reared. 

 To credit birds with this infallible nest-building 

 instinct is to endow them with powers that 

 man himself does not possess. Man with his 

 marvellous development of reasoning power is 

 as little able to build a dwelling typical of his 

 race or tribe without instruction or experience 

 as a bird is its nest. Neither is one creature 

 more gifted than the other in the matter of 

 language or song, for both have in each case 

 to be learnt. Instinct, again, if it is anything 

 it is unchangeable, and therefore if it controls 



