Fear of Enemies, 1 1 7 



the enemy is seen. This pecuHar fear, the note of 

 warning, the instant recognition of it by all oth- 

 ers, and the impulse to hide when the alarm is 

 sounded, are, taken together, a perfect adaptation 

 of means to ends ; such as might be arranged 

 among men by agreement. But here we find this 

 social machinery in operation at once among all 

 fowls. Each one acts its part instinctively, with the 

 same precision and certainty as its hunger comes to 

 aid in the preservation of its life, or its wings grow 

 in the best mechanical form for flying. 



Among grain-eating and insect-eating birds 

 there is also a common call or warning note, heeded 

 not by one species only but by many, when there 

 is common danger from birds of prey. It is not an 

 uncommon thing to see hawks chased by several 

 kinds of birds at the same time, especially the spar- 

 row hawks, that are dangerous to the small birds. 

 A most remarkable instance of this united action 

 of the different species of birds in protecting each 

 other, came under my own observation. A small 

 owl was fastened near a house in daytime, and was 

 accidentally seen by a robin, that raised the alarm 

 of danger. Instantly, from all directions, the note 

 was answered, and birds of different kinds were seen 

 flying towards the spot. Within five minutes, 

 more than fifty birds, representing fourteen differ- 

 ent species, were in the tree and doing what they 

 could to drive away or torment their common en- 

 emy, the owl. 



There are other methods of saving life by in- 

 stinctive acts, that are so uniform and yet vary so 



