CHAPTER VIII 



THE VIREO AND THE COWBIRD 



THE following account of a first-hand observation 

 with a red- eyed vireo, though not by any means 

 extraordinary, is nevertheless interesting, as demon- 

 strating the birds' powers of reasoning in dealing 

 with what is not in any way a regular occurrence in 

 the daily life. To argue that the birds' actions 

 were entirely according to natural instinct would 

 seem scarcely fair to the little feathered creatures 

 who acted with such far-sighted intelligence. In 

 mentally attempting to deprive them of their 

 reasoning power we might question the wisdom 

 of their action. From an economic point of 

 view, would it not have been better to have built 

 a new nest rather than change the first one? 

 But would the result have been any different ? It 

 probably required no more time to make the change 

 than to have constructed an entirely new nest. 



When birds build their nests they appear to have 

 certain well-defined objects in view. The nest 

 must be well concealed or out of reach of many 

 enemies, and due care must be observed that its 

 contents shall be protected from the elements. It 

 must be sheltered from the rain, and, if the young 

 are to remain in it for any length of time, shaded 

 from the sun. In taking these precautions the bird 

 may be said to be simply following out the habits 



W.L.C. K 



