326 I GO A-FISHING. 



and his noise. They gather in rows on the perches, 

 shorten their necks so as almost to sink their heads into 

 their feathers, and make no motion of wing, head, or foot 

 for a space of thirty minutes, and often longer." 



" But, my dear fellow, when did this occur ?" 



" When ? I tell you it is almost a daily occurrence. 

 Ordinarily you can not approach the aviary without 

 frightening some of the birds and producing a sharp com- 

 motion ; but while this exercise is going on nothing dis- 

 turbs them. They are birds of every land and climate as 

 you see ; but this is their custom, and no one of them fails 

 to attend, or behaves ill in meeting." 



" Queer, isn't it ?" 



" More than queer. It's well worth studying ; and I 

 sometimes wonder whether birds in their natural condi- 

 tion ever do the same thing. You may think it some- 

 thing like mesmerism, for the leader keeps up his curious 

 call-note throughout the service. The instant it is ended 

 they break up with a shout of delight, and rush around 

 singing and having a jolly time of it, as if thoroughly re- 

 freshed. What's your theory, Effendi ?" 



" I haven't a theory. It's something new to me. I 

 have seen birds talking to one another many a time, but 

 I never heard of this idea before. We all know that 

 dogs tell each other stories, and it's beyond dispute that 

 dogs dream. A bee that has found honey flies off and 

 comes back with all the hive. I have often seen a colt 

 try to tell a calf something, but the calf was a calf, and 

 couldn't understand. In Egypt, the dogs of the cities 

 have their quarters, and keep out intruders of their own 

 species. I have seen droves of them facing one another 

 across an imaginary line, and making no attack except as 

 one or more crossed that line, then the whole pack would 



