136 PROBLEMS OF BIRD LIFE. 



being caught himself is the bird's most important study. 

 Shall we not put down Safety as the second problem ? 



The third problem is not so easily hit upon as these last ; 

 but we know that though the life of each particular bird is 

 short, it is necessary that the same kinds of birds should 

 exist as long as possible. Unless a bird has little ones, that 

 kind of bird will die out ; it will become an extinct species. 

 Now it is not intended that any bird or plant or living 

 creature should become extinct until it has been fairly crowded 

 out of existence by some better or stronger kind of plant or 

 animal. To prevent this happening by the creature's own 

 fault there was implanted in it an instinct almost as strong 

 as its desire for food, and stronger than its love of safety, 

 which urges it to choose a mate and to spend its time and risk 

 its life in rearing a family of little ones. This is the family 

 instinct, and this whole problem of the bird's life is called by 

 the name of Reproduction. 



Food, Safety, Reproduction, these are the three great 

 interests of a bird's life. We may of course carry the analysis 

 one step farther and say that food and safety are the means of 

 preserving the bird's own life, and are selfish instincts, while 

 reproduction is an unselfish instinct, which gives us two prob- 

 lems, self-preservation and self-perpetuation. But for our 

 study it is best to stop with the three, food and safety and re- 

 production. Of these three the bird must be constantly think- 

 ing, and to secure them he must be continually working. 



Now it is a law, both of your life and of every creature's, 

 that what he thinks of constantly and works for continually 

 has an effect both upon his body and upon his mind. Often 

 we can tell a man's trade and opinions by his look, his walk, or 

 his figure. For the same reason what a bird eats, how he 

 secures it, how he provides for his safety, and how he brings 



