The Wit of the Wild 



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and in the jackdaw and other birds of the crow 

 tribes, this habit leads them not only to ac- 

 cumulate a quantity of edible things in and 

 about the nest long after the young have left 

 it and are taking care of themselves, but to 

 pick up and deposit there any bright object 

 which attracts their restless eyes and minds. 



But still more conspicuous examples of the 

 power of habit in regulating the routine of 

 daily life are to be found among those smaller 

 mammals, mainly rodents, which have acquired 

 the habit of making and living in permanent 

 burrows, or in such houses as that of the beaver. 

 These animals, almost without exception, are 

 feebly endowed with powers either of defense 

 or of escape outside their habitations, and when 

 gathering their food (seeds, bark, etc.) they 

 are in constant terror of enemies. They must 

 be as quick about the task as possible, and can- 

 not stop to eat much out there, but must merely 

 gather what they can carry, and hasten to the 

 safety of their doorways, at least, so as to be 

 able to dodge back into harbor at the first 

 alarm. This is the reason why surviving species 



+S 44 5 



