306 THE BIRD WATCHER 
nised signal, he woyld have been in the water almost 
at the same time. n the great slab itself ten seals 
were lying as I began to go up, but one went off whilst 
I sat quiet, without observing me. This left nine, 
and, of these, two saw me as I scrambled up an 
exposed ridge, and went off, whilst the other seven 
slumbered on. 
As far as I can see, therefore, there was no communi- 
cation of intelligence between these seals. Hach acted 
for himself, and without thought of the others. I have 
noticed the same thing often with birds, and on the 
whole I cannot help thinking that, in a loose sort of 
way, wild animals are often credited with acting in a 
more highly organised manner than they really do, 
and that a too intelligent interpretation is often put 
upon their actions. When, for example, a bird, scent- 
ing danger, flies off, with a cry that warns all the 
others (though it frequently does so in silence), it 
does not follow that it was thinking of those others, 
nor can the cry be shown to be a special one until it 
has been heard, over and over again, in the same, or 
similar, circumstances, but not upon other occasions. 
Even then it will often be found to be due to excite- 
ment, merely, so that instead of expressing any 
definite idea, it but reflects the emotional state of 
the individual uttering it—it is the difference between 
thinking and feeling. The familiar alarm-note, as it 
is called, of the blackbird, is an example of this, for 
I have often heard the bird utter it when there has 
been neither fear nor danger—only excitement. Its 
