THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



separated and the greatest joy on reunion; crows, in 

 spite of their shyness of a gun, hover about a com- 

 rade that has been shot instead of taking flight; par- 

 rots and storks revenge an injury after a long inter- 

 val and rejoice diabolically over the success of a piece 

 of mischief. The behaviour of peacocks and turkeys 

 points to the conclusion that birds can be vain, but 

 might be thought insufficient to prove it if it were not 

 for the pride of talking birds over their accomplish- 

 ments; Darwin has conclusively proved that they take 

 pleasure in beautiful colours and musical sounds; many 

 birds drop shell-covered prey from a height in order to 

 break the shell; the teachableness of canaries, finches,* 

 and other birds is astonishing ; they learn the most diffi- 

 cult compositions; crows have been known to conduct 

 trials, where by common consent some unpopular mem- 

 bers of the community were condemned and executed; 

 swallows, in whose nest a sparrow has established itself, 

 wall up the entrance so that the intruder perishes. 



This list might be extended indefinitely, but these 

 few examples, which I have purposely chosen as some 

 of the most remarkable among well-authenticated cases, 

 clearly indicate mental endowments of a high order in 

 the birds concerned. 



This being established, it must be admitted that the 

 ardent male who performs his flyings and dancings again 

 and again before his mate and invariably succeeds by 

 such methods in overcoming her reluctance, may well 

 be quite conscious of what he is doing. That satisfac- 

 tion in his ability to talk, which the parrot shows so 

 plainly, and which appears so early in the child, is 

 probably akin to the feeling which swells the breast 



* See Naumann, v, p. 137. 



