PLAY AND PRANKS OF WILD FOLK 207 



into a scattered number. At other times the 

 howler so transfers his voice that it seems to issue 

 from a point widely separated from the owner. 

 But sometimes this clown of the prairie forgets 

 singing to the stars, and in silence has games and 

 contests which require speed and skill. 



The humpback whale appears to be the most 

 playful fellow of the seven seas. He plays singly, 

 with other whales of all ages, and he will even play 

 with a ship. Off the coast of Alaska a number of 

 humpbacks were at play near the steamer on which 

 I was a passenger. They appeared to have great 

 fun. As speedy and as agile as trout, they threshed 

 about, raced, and countermarched. One literally 

 stood on his head, and with only his tail out of the 

 water beat and churned the waves violently. Most 

 of all they appeared to enjoy diving, then coming 

 to the surface with all possible speed, shooting 

 thirty or more feet of their ponderous bodies out 

 of the water, and rolling awkwardly to one side as 

 they fell heavily back into the sea. 



The play of the jays and the crows is often fun 

 at the expense of others. Clarke's nutcracker is a 

 rowdy, assailing squirrels and precipitating fights 

 between birds of other species. He is also a dare- 

 devil in flying exhibitions and excels in spectacular 

 airplane dips. 



The long crested jay is keen witted and cynical, 

 and it seems natural that in playing he should go the 

 limit in rowdyism and the ridiculous, and indulge 



