SINGING SCHOOL FOR THRUSHES. I47 



utes, and the distance was eighteen full paces, the ant in 

 realit}' traveling much farther b}' reason of climbing up 

 grass stalks and pine twigs, and dragging the cricket 

 around obstacles. There were many crickets of the same 

 species much nearer the nest which apparently might have 

 been secured with less trouble, but perhaps the ant had 

 reasons of its own for making its selection. 



When we had rubbed our knees and elbows, and rested 

 our backs a little — for close and continuous observation is 

 tiresome work — we returned to our camp and carefully 

 wrote out in our journal the notes that had been made 

 afield during the progress of the journey, and from which 

 this true story has now been told. 



Singing School For Thrushes- 



A writer in Forest aiid Stream tells us of the methods 

 the thrush adopts in teaching his little ones to sing. 



"P'ind," he saj-s, "a family of the thrushes and careful- 

 ly note what takes place. The old male thrush will sing 

 the sweet song in loud, clear, flutelike notes once and then 

 stop to listen while the young birds \xy to imitate the song. 

 Some will utter one note, some tw^o. Some will utter a 

 coarse note, others a sharp note. After a while they seem 

 to forget their lesson and drop out one b}- one. When all 

 are silent the old thrush tunes up again, and the young 

 thrushes repeat their efforts, and so it goes on for hours. 

 The 3'oung birds do not acquire the full song the first year, 

 so the lessons are repeated the following spring. I take 

 many visitors into the woods to enjoy the thrushes' sing- 

 ing school, and all are convinced that the song of the wood 

 thrush is a matter of education pure and simple." 



