74 Habit and Instinct. 



them for some minutes, and thought he would come again 

 and look at them, but whilst leaning over the nest, one of 

 them suddenly rose and flew ; and all the rest followed in 

 the same direction, looking like thistle-down blown away 

 by a sudden puff of wind, and, like that, never more to 

 return to the same spot. 



Both the jays and fly-catchers which I brought up from 

 quite an early stage, began to use their wings as they 

 hopped from perch to perch. This involved, however, but 

 little exercise of the power of flight, and little or no 

 guidance. The first time the fly-catchers were thrown into 

 the air in a room, they descended on to the floor in a 

 gentle curve. Their wings were not strong enough for 

 sustained and guided flight. The jays were more advanced 

 in development when they were first given a wider area 

 than their cage afforded. They flew round the room with 

 well-directed flight. One tried to alight on a shelf, and, 

 missing it, came to the ground. The other aimed for the 

 top of a picture, and, though it alighted awkwardly and 

 with some scrambling, yet contrived to maintain its hold, 

 and stood there panting. 



Such birds as chicks, pheasants, and guinea-fowl use 

 the wings to assist them in running and in leaping up on 

 to and down from any low objects in their run. Individual 

 practice thus co-operates with the development of congenital 

 power. They appear to use the wings with some freedom 

 before they are sufficiently developed to sustain the weight 

 of the body. 



These observations, now given in sufficient detail, con- 

 firm those of Spalding and Prof. Preyer. It is beyond 

 question that some birds are able, in the absence of 

 previous experience, to fly for considerable distances with 

 an accuracy which is purely congenital, if deferred. No 

 doubt there is some preparatory fluttering and flapping 



