212 PERSONALITY IN BIRDS 



as it were, the latent energy of a past similar one, 

 and by association stimulate into new activity the 

 emotions that accompanied it this they have. 



However, it is not upon its subjective side that it 

 is proposed here to treat of personality in birds, but 

 rather of that objective expression of it in outward 

 action, by which each species enables the observer 

 to form a mental image typical of the individuals 

 contained in it. Thus the conception of personality 

 suffers still further limitation ; it becomes, not the 

 personality of an individual, but the collective 

 personality of a kind. 



Perhaps the broadest statement that can be made 

 concerning personality in birds is that they fear 

 according to their size ; but, strange as it may at first 

 seem, it is the largest birds that are the most fearful, 

 and the smallest that are least so. This rule is seen 

 to apply so generally that one is prompted to cast 

 about at once for some explanation on physical 

 grounds, since any moral analogy would lead one to 

 expect just the reverse. Why should birds of the 

 Titmouse tribe, the Common Wren, Gold Crest, and 

 Tree-creeper, the smaller Warblers, the Redpolls 

 and Siskin, approach man, provided he be tolerably 

 still, so nearly that every marking and action may be 

 noted by the unaided eye ; whilst, with a few notable 

 exceptions, their larger fellows, with each increase in 

 size give man a wider and wider berth, until at last 

 they will scarcely tolerate his visible presence at all ? 

 Some of the larger kinds practice precaution even 

 greater than this, posting sentries in anticipation of 

 surprise. Thus, a pair of feral Canada-geese, with 

 which I claim an intimacy they appear to resent, 



