2OO 



Wild Birds 



while in minor details it is subject to endless change. No doubt 

 many reflexes are called forth by the sight of food, of the nest, 

 _ 1 and the quaver- 



ing young; but, 

 as in the case of 

 hunger and other 

 forms of desire, 

 the real prompt- 

 ings to such be- 

 havior, which are 

 needed to weld 

 the links of the 

 chain, seem to 

 come from within 

 the body and not 

 from without. 

 In feeding her 

 nestlings, the 

 mother seems to 

 be really pleasing 

 herself and satis- 

 fying her keenest 

 desires, which 

 are, however, in- 

 tensified at the 

 sight of her 

 young and at the 

 sound of their 

 cries. When a 

 distinction is 

 sought between 

 reflex action and instinct, we must repeat that while the power 

 of coordinated response is the chief hereditary gift in both cases, 

 in the latter it may be called forth by internal states or emotions 

 as well as by external agents, and is more complex and variable 

 in character. 



In the complex behavior of the wild bird, we see the outlines 



Fig. 122. The Red-shouldered Hawk often stands on the 

 toes of one foot, with the ' heel' or end of the bare shank of 

 the other resting on the perch. 



