Chut. v. Birds have Ltmgv 61 



the houses in a town ; how could they arrange all the necessary 

 details without communicating ideas and arriving at a joint under- 

 Btanding I Sociable animals must necessarily converse. 



I should not be surmised to find it some day proved that not 

 unlv do birds have language, but also separate languages for 

 different species, as we have for different nations, and variations of 

 voice for each individual and sex. Without such variations of 

 voice it would be difficult to understand how, in the pairing season, 

 for instance, each individual sparrow can not only call a sparrow 

 and a mate, but its own mate, as it evidently does without mistake, 

 in the midst, too, of a clamour of other voices. That the bird's ear 

 is formed for the accurate distinction of voices is traceable in the 

 grey parrot, the raven, the jackdaw, the niyna, and others, which 

 not only repeat words, but catch so exactly the intonation of the 

 human speaker that they are sometimes undistinguishable. 



That there are different voices for different sexes we can 

 ourselves recognize in the varying voices of domestic poultry, and 

 man can so copy the voice, and parrotwise probably the words also, 

 of a she bear that a male bear shall answer it from far away in 

 the forest, and keep on answering and drawing near as called. I 

 have seen it done on the Animalais, till we had to desist because 

 we were unarmed. The gentleman who did it said that there were 

 junglemen who could thus call a male bear within easy shot. 

 Many of us have heard natives so copy jackals crying over their 

 prey, that others shall answer and come even within striking 

 distance of a club. This subject might be enlarged on, but I only 

 wish to lead up to my fish 



Take just one example from insects, in addition to those from 

 beasts and birds. Watch the ants moving in long columns along 

 some conjointly cleared road, in some particular direction, evidently 

 with some common object. How did they agree about and com- 

 municate to each other that common plan ? Put your finger, or any 

 other obstacle, in the line and stop them. There is immediately 

 excitement amongst them all, and parties swarm up to remove the 

 obstacle with a readiness that seems to say the state of affairs has 

 been rapidly communicated, and a course of conduct resolved upon 

 and ordered by authority. See two ants meet and cross feelers 

 rapidly, and thru go on their several ways. What have they been 

 doing? Pooling? All their history is against the supposition, 



