188 SENSATION, IDEATION, 



Douglas A. Spalding* in relation to the untaught Percep- 

 tions, Emotions, and Motor Powers of Birds, having sup- 

 plied a final confirmation which was needed. 



Many of Spalding's observations were made upon young 

 Chickens, some of which were carefully hooded as they 

 emerged from the egg, and for two or three days thereafter, 

 so as not to permit the incidence of any Sight impressions. 

 The young Birds being then placed on a smooth white 

 surface, sprinkled with some seeds and insects, the hoods 

 were removed, and the creatures' acts were carefully timed 

 and duly recorded in a note-book. 



" Often at the end of two minutes," Spalding says, " they 

 followed with their eyes the movements of crawling insects, turn- 

 ing their head with all the precision of an old fowl. In from two 

 to fifteen minutes they pecked at some speck or insect, showing 

 not merely an instinctive perception of distance, but an orioinal 

 ability to judge, to measure distance, with something like infallible 



accuracy They never missed by more than a hair's 



breadth, and that too, when the specks at which tliuy aimed were 

 no bigger, and less visible, than the small dot of an V 



Here, in some detail, is an account of the doings of 

 one of these chicks immediately after it was unhooded : 



" For six minutes it sat chirping and looking about it; at the end 

 of that time it followed with its head and eyes the movements of a 

 fly twelve inches distant; at ten minutes it made a peck at its own 

 toes, and the next instant it made a vigorous dart at the fly, which 

 had come within reach of its neck, and seized and swallowed it at 

 the first stroke ; for seven minutes more it sat calling and looking 

 about it. when a hive-bee coming sufficiently near, was seized at a 

 dart and thrown some distance, much disabled. For twenty minutes 

 it sat on the spot where its eyes had been unveiled, without attempt- 

 ing to walk a step. It was then placed on rough ground, within 

 sight and call of a hen with a brood of its own age. After stand- 

 ing chirping for about a minute, it started off towards the hen, 

 displaying as keen a perception of the qualities of the outer world, 



• * " Macmillan's Magazine," February, 1873. 



