312 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



ferred from the fact of their pining for absent mates, parrots 

 calling for absent friends, &c. The same fact is further 

 proved by birds dreaming, a faculty which has been noticed 

 by Cuvier, Jerdon, Thompson, Bennet, Houzeau, Bechstein, 

 Lindsay, and Darwin.^ 



The facility with which birds lend themselves to the 

 education of the show-man is certain evidence of consider- 

 able docility, or the power of forming novel associations 

 of ideas. Thus, according to Bingley, — 



Some years ago the Sieur Roman exhibited in this country 

 the wonderful performances of his birds. These were gold- 

 finches, linnets, and canary birds. One appeared dead, and was 

 held up by the tail or claw without exhibiting any signs of life. 

 A second stood on its head, with its claws in the air, &c., (fec.^ 



And many years ago there was exhibited a very puzzling 

 automaton, which, although of very small size and quite 

 isolated from any possibly mechanical connection with its 

 designer, performed certain movements in any order that 

 the fancy of the observers might dictate. The explana- 

 tion turned out to be that within the mechanism of the 

 figure there was a canary bird which had been taught to 

 run in different directions at different words or tones of 

 command, so by its weight starting the mechanism to 

 perform the particular movement required. 



The rapidity with which birds learn not to fly against 

 newly erected telegraph wires, displays a large amount of 

 observation and intelligence. The fact has been repeatedly 

 observed. For instance, JVIr. Holden says : — 



About twelve years ago I was residing on the coast of 

 county Antrim, at the time the telegraph wires were set up along 

 that charming road which skirts the sea between Larne and 

 Cushendall. During the winter months large flocks of starlings 

 always migrated over from Scotland, arriving in the early morn- 

 ing. The first winter after the wires were stretched along the 

 coast I frequently found numbers of starlings lying dead or 

 wounded on the road-side, they having evidently in their flight 

 in the dusky morn struck against the telegraph wires, not 



^ ^ee Birds of India, i., p. 21; Passions of Animals, "p. 60; Fao. Men. 

 des Ani., torn, ii., p. 183 ; Mind in Lower Animals, vol. ii., p. 96 ; and 

 Begeent of Man, p. 74. 



2 Animal Biography, vol. ii., p. 173 



