244 JUNGLE FOLK 



human beings. It is but natural for us humans to put 

 anthropomorphic interpretations on the actions of 

 animals. Careless observation seems to justify us in 

 so doing. While not denying that birds do spend 

 much time and labour in teaching their young, I am 

 of opinion that the lessons taught by them are com- 

 paratively unimportant, that their teachings are merely 

 supplementary to the instinct, the inherited education, 

 which is latent in young birds at birth, and displays 

 itself as they increase in size, just as intelligence 

 develops in growing human beings. 



By the mere observation of birds and beasts in their 

 natural state it is not easy to ascertain how far the 

 progress made by young ones is the growth of their 

 inborn instincts, and how far it is the result of parental 

 instruction. 



It is the failure to appreciate the magnitude of this 

 difficulty that vitiates the teachings of Mr. Long and 

 the school to which he belongs. We can gauge the 

 value of the pedagogic efforts of parent animals only 

 by actual experiment, by removing young birds from 

 parental influence and noticing how far that which 

 we may term their education progresses in the absence 

 of the mother and father. 



The first and foremost of the things which a young 

 bird must know is how to find its food. This is an 

 accomplishment which it speedily acquires without 

 any teaching. Young ducklings hatched under a 

 barndoor hen take to the water of their own accord, 

 and soon discover how to use their sieve-like bills. 



I read some time ago a most interesting account 



