ANIMAL BIOLOGY 



first hatched are generally active and require little atten- 

 tion from their parents. Young ducklings, for instance, 

 will swim in the water, pick up food, flee from their 

 enemies, and perform many other acts on the first day 

 after being hatched. Lloyd Morgan tells of a young 

 moor hen which swam almost as soon as it hatched out 

 of the egg, and dived into the water as readily as an 

 older bird. Very young chicks have the instinct to peck 



FIG. 148. Nest and eggs of Brewer's blackbird. (From photo by 



Holliger.) 



at small objects of about a certain size, but they quickly 

 learn to avoid things with a disagreeable taste. They in- 

 stinctively respond to the note of the mother hen that 

 warns them of danger and rush to the mother or else 

 hide. They also give a note themselves, the danger chirr, 

 when any object causes them to become afraid and this 

 note serves as a warning to the other chicks. One of ten 

 sees them approaching an object such as a large bug of 



