THE PROBLEM OF DOMESTICATION 237 



over a wide field ; yet the flamingoes, the herons, and their 

 kindred could probably be brought into at least as near 

 an approach to reconciliation with man as their relations 

 the storks. The comfortable relations which have been 

 established between the last-named species and humankind 

 in northern Europe is probably in nowise due to the pecul- 

 iarly tamable nature of the bird, but rather to the fact 

 that certain superstitious fancies on the part of the feather- 

 less biped led him to protect the feathered visitor of his 

 roofs and chimneys. Should it be desirable to break up 

 the habit of migration in these or other birds which are 

 now accustomed to range up and down the meridians, there 

 seems no reason to doubt that the change could be accom- 

 plished with the same ease that it has been in the case of 

 the tamed geese and swans. Experience has shown that 

 with these forms, which probably have not been associated 

 with men for more than three or four thousand years, the 

 migratory instinct, which appears one of the strongest of 

 motives, has utterly disappeared. Not only do they no 

 longer heed the cries of the wild birds of their kind as they 

 fly away on their annual journeys, but they have, through 

 the changes in form induced by their quiet life, lost the 

 power to rise far above the earth. They are even more 

 effectively tamed than are their captors. 



Owing to their singularly perfect protection against the 

 cold, and also perhaps to the quickness of their wits, birds 

 are more readily transferable from one clime to another 

 than are any other animals. The feathered tenants of our 

 barnyards are, except perhaps the aquatic species and the 

 turkey, all from the tropical realm. Experiments with various 

 other wild forms go to show that there are very many other 



