Further Observations on Young Birds. 95 



water. Keenness after food is a predisposing cause. I have 

 described how a little pheasant, which was fed on wasp 

 grubs from my hand, would, when he had finished them 

 all, leap upon my palm and scratch for more. But though 

 the scratching is unquestionably congenital, its continuance 

 is dependent upon experience of some good accruing from 

 the action. A chick placed in a rearer at night, in the 

 run of which there was sand and earth and pieces of coke 

 or charcoal, together with some grain and other food, 

 would scratch here for chance grains buried in the earth ; 

 but when, in the day, he had the run of the room, on the 

 floor of which only a sprinkling of sand and grit was 

 scattered (the grain being therefore readily visible), he 

 rarely scratched after the first day or two. Experience had 

 guided the originally congenital activity in accordance with 

 circumstances. I did not notice the guinea-fowl scratch 

 the ground. Its tendency seemed rather to thrust the beak 

 sideways through the earth. Very curious was the way in 

 which the little plovers thrust their bills deeply into the 

 soil and ploughed it forwards in a way quite different 

 from that of rasorial birds. Sand-dusting in chicks is 

 also definitely instinctive, and was observed generally about 

 the eighth day. There was only a little sand strewn over 

 the newspaper or floor, so not much good came of the 

 operation. Still they persisted in it for a quarter of an 

 hour at a time, squatting down, ruffling themselves, 

 and fluttering their wings in the most approved fashion. 

 The ducklings thoroughly enjoyed a dip. Each morning, 

 at nine o'clock, a large black tray was placed in their 

 pen, and on it a flat tin containing water. To this they 

 eagerly ran, drinking and washing in it. On the sixth 

 morning the tray and tin were given them in the usual 

 way, but without any water. They ran to it, scooped at 

 the bottom, and made all the motions of the beak as if 



