A COLONY OF GRAKLES. 108 



How do these grakles recognize their mates ? If we 

 could have placed those that nested in 1884 in one long 

 row, the most that could have been determined was that 

 there were eleven males and as many female birds. 

 Certainly, to human eyes, there was no difference of ex- 

 pression. This is no proof that the birds themselves 

 could not recognize distinguishing marks, and it is as- 

 sumed by ornithologists that they do so; but is there 

 no other way, and one equally probable? I refer to 

 their power of communicating their thoughts by vocal 

 sounds. It may be said that if these birds presented no 

 individual characteristics, the possession of such a power 

 would be of little value. A continual mistaking of one 

 individual for another would undoubtedly lead to no 

 end of direful results ; but, on the other hand, the pe- 

 culiarities might as readily be in the voice as in the 

 features, and just as we can recognize our friends by 

 their voices, when we cannot see them, so grakles may 

 possibly know their mates from others by vocal peculi- 

 arities, their features presenting no recognizable differ- 

 ences. -■■: , i- I'' •'■hr.'-^-' ii. t. 



As a further test of this, I transferred the broods 

 from one nest to another, the young in each case being 

 of exactly the same age. The parent birds, I am sure, 

 recognized the difference immediately, and each pair 

 sought for, found, and fed their own young, and the 

 change of broods was accepted in good part by both 

 parties concerned. It is possible that I confounded the 

 parent birds, but I think not ; but, if so, then these birds 

 could see no difference between their own young and 

 those of their neighbors, which renders it the more 



