108 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



as old birds of their kind are." * Before the time for 

 their departure migratory birds are fond of collecting 

 in large flocks, and this can only be regarded as play, es- 

 pecially in the case of the young, preparatory for the 

 long flight. Thus, in the spring, young nightingales 

 take little experimental trips from shrub to shrub and 

 field to field. It is the same with the young of the 

 whitethroat, bower bird, song thrush, and many other 

 kinds of birds, f Though it is doubtful, as I have said, 

 whether the so-called flying games of adult birds are 

 movement plays, I will include a couple of such exam- 

 ples. Scheitlin tells of a young crane: "He went to 

 the field with his master, rose in the air of his own 

 accord and with evident pleasure, tumbled about some, 

 and then came down and walked by his master's side.'' 

 Hudson relates of the wonderful crested screamer: 

 " I was once very much surprised at the behaviour of a 

 couple of chakars during a thunderstorm. On a sultry 

 day in summer I was standing watching masses of 

 black cloud coming rapidly over the sky, while a hun- 

 dred yards from me stood the two birds, also apparently 

 watching the approaching storm with interest. Pres- 

 ently the edge of the cloud touched the sun and a twi- 

 light gloom fell on the earth. The very moment the 

 sun disappeared, the birds rose up and soon began singing 

 their long-sounding notes, though it was loudly thun- 

 dering at the time, while vivid flashes of lightning lit 

 the black cloud overhead at short intervals. I watched 

 their flight and listened to their notes, till suddenly, as 

 they made a wide sweep upward, they disappeared in 



* J. A. Naumanii, Naturgeschichte der Vogel Deutschlands, i, 

 p. 86. 



f A. and K. MuUer, Thiere der Heimath, i, p. 81. 



