xiii INSTINCT AND REASON 



335 



tional Crow once made its nest of soda-water bottle 

 wires, which it picked up in a backyard. In districts 

 liable to floods, Moorhens often build in trees. In 

 New Zealand the " Paradise Ducks," which usually 

 build on the ground near rivers, have been known 

 when disturbed to build on the tops of high trees, and 

 to bring down their young on their backs to the water. 

 But all this does not show that birds have not an 

 instinctive knowledge how to build. It only shows 

 that their instinct can be modified by reason and 

 experience. 



Many nests are works of very great skill. In Eng- 

 land we have the Long-tailed Tit's nest, wonderful for 

 its neatness and its beauty. Some of the commonest 

 nests, such as the Chaffinch's, are works of art. The 

 Magpie's, if not beautiful, is a formidable fortress. 

 Among foreign birds there are marvellous builders, 

 such as the Tailor, Weaver, and Oven birds. For 

 fine architecture the feet must have a power of grasp. 

 No web-footed bird builds a really clever nest. But 

 a long fine beak is not, as Dr. Wallace maintains, 

 necessary. Of the four commonest Tits, the Long- 

 tailed is by far the best builder, and his beak is 

 remarkably short, much shorter than that of the 

 other three. The Chaffinch, too, has a short bill and 

 makes a good nest. Some birds — e.g., Ducks — have 

 beaks that could never turn out very good work ; but, 

 speaking generally, skill is more important than a 

 beak of a particular form. And to say that a bird 

 learns how to build a nest from the casual sight of 

 another pair at work is almost as much as to say that 

 she ahead}' knows how to do it. The power must 



