
INSTINCT 97 
death which does not occur in the young fledgling now ap- 
pears on the scene; the young birds will allow themselves to 
be handled and pulled about without betraying a sign of life, 
and will even suffer their tail or wing feathers to be pulled 
out one by one without a wince. After a time, as if the 
bird recognized the futility of the ruse, the death feint is 
discontinued with a surprising suddenness to be followed 
by violent struggles, screams and pecking at its captor in 
its effort to make its escape. Later when the birds are able 
to fly the crouching and death feigning instincts disappear. 
With birds whichare hatched ina helpless and almost feath- 
erless condition most of the instincts of the species, with the 
exception of opening the mouth for food upon the appearance 
of a large moving object in their vicinity, are in abeyance. 
In such forms running, pecking, flight, etc., are none the 
less instinctive; they are simply kept from appearing on 
account of immaturity. The young of the mound-building 
bird will take wing when first hatched from the egg, but young 
swallows are not able to fly until after some weeks. That 
previous experience is not necessary to enable them to ac- 
complish this feat is shown by the fact that young nestlings 
kept where they had no opportunity to use their wings 
until they were of the proper age for flight, were able 
to fly at their first attempt with perfect ease. That young 
birds are taught to fly by their parents is a popular myth. 
The instinct to fly is there in every case; its appearance is 
merely deferred, like the mating and nest building instincts, 
until the bird reaches a certain degree of development. 
Similarly with the running and swimming of mammals. 
A young puppy placed in the water will flounder helplessly 
and soon drown, but if an older dog is thrown into the water, 
though he may never have been in the water before, he will 
swim toward the shore. 
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