ORIENTATION AND ROUTE FINDING 57 



example, though the cases of dogs and cats amongst 

 domestic animals, and of many wild creatures 

 finding their way, could fill many volumes. His 

 son brought a drake home in a bag from a farm 

 2 miles away, and shut it up in a barn with two 

 ducks for a day and a night. As soon as it was 

 released it turned its head homewards, but for 

 three or four days its efforts were frustrated. Then 

 Mr Burroughs decided to see what the drake would 

 do, and to go with it to give it " fair play." The 

 ' homesick mallard started up through the currant 

 patch, then through the vineyard towards the high- 

 way which he had never seen," and Mr Burroughs 

 followed 50 yards behind. A dog scared the bird 

 and turned it up a lane, but after a detour it reached 

 the road again ; it stopped to bathe in a roadside 

 pool, then started off again refreshed. A lane, 

 leading in the right direction off the main road, 

 puzzled it, and it took a wrong turning, but, dis- 

 covering its mistake, made for the road again, but 

 not by actually retracing its steps. The false 

 move seemed to put it out, for after hesitating at 

 the next and right turning, it actually overshot the 

 mark. Its companion, unable to spare time to 

 continue the experiment, then headed it back, 

 and when it reached the turning again it seemed to 

 recognise something familiar and raced home with 

 evident signs of joy. 



