BULBULS' NESTS II 139 



BULBULS' NESTS II 



The simplest observations often bring to light 

 the greatest scientific truths. The force of gravity 

 was revealed to Sir Isaac Newton by the falling of an 

 apple. A kettle of boiling water gave the idea of 

 the steam-engine to James Watt. The watch- 

 ing of bulbuls, which are so common in our Indian 

 gardens and verandahs, suffices, apart from all other 

 evidence, to demonstrate how erroneous is the ortho- 

 dox doctrine that the survival of the fittest is the 

 result of a struggle for existence among adult or- 

 ganisms. This year (1912) six bulbul tragedies have 

 occurred in my garden, and the year is yet young. 



The scene of one of these tragedies was the identical 

 plant in which occurred the disaster described above, 

 which happened about nine months ago. Thus we 

 see that among bulbuls destruction takes place mostly 

 in the nest, whole broods being wiped out at a time. 

 The same is, I believe, true to a large extent of other 

 species that build open nests. There are three critical 

 stages in the life of a bird the time when it is defence- 

 less in the egg, the period it spends helpless in the nest, 

 and the two or three days that elapse after it leaves 

 the nest until its powers of flight are fully developed. 

 When once a little bird has survived these dangerous 

 periods, when it has reached the adult stage, it is 

 comparatively immune from death until old age steals 

 upon it. If zoologists would perceive this obvious 

 truth there would be an end to nine-tenths of the 



