4 So 



NATURE 



[February 20. 1919 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.] 



The Supposed "Fascination" of Birds by Snakes and 

 the "Mobbing" of Snakes by Birds. 



I have received the following interesting notes by 

 Dr. J. Burton Cleland, of 93 Macquarie Street, 

 Sydm \ 1 in. i\ add to tin observations recorded 

 towards the end of his letter the behaviour of a 

 common grey African parrol brought to this country 

 as a young bird in 1004, and almost certainly without 

 experience oi hawks. One wing is clipped from time 

 to time and the bird given much freedom in the 

 arden. Twice I have seen ii drop with a scream 

 and crouch on the ground when an aeroplane has 

 flown overhead al a rather low elevation. 



Edward B. Pout ton. 

 Oxford, Fi bruar) 1 1 . 



"Some twenty years or so ago, whilst walking in 

 1.11 in the outer suburbs of Adelaide, my atten- 

 tion was attracted by the behaviour of a small com- 

 pany of white-plumed honey-eaters (Ptilotis penicil- 

 lata, Gld.)- The individuals were making a consider- 

 able noise, ami kept living down to the low( 1 branch' 

 of a carob-bean tree (St. John's Bread), whirr these 

 overhung the pathway, and then up higher again, 

 their attention being apparently attracted b\ an objei 1 

 on this path. The objeel proved to be a stock-whip, 

 with long, snake-like lash and short handle. As 

 thrown carelessly down the lash certainly suggested 

 serpentine coils, and my impression, as noted at thi 

 time, was that they had probably mistaken the lash 

 for .1 snake. Their behaviour was that manifested by 

 other Melipha^idae— for instance-, ,1/v anllia ^ainila. 

 Lath. — in the presence of an enemy such as a bird of 

 prev. The birds congregate together, make much noise, 

 and fly about excitedly. In this way they may indi- 

 cate the resting-spot of an owl disturbed from its 

 sleeping-place by day. 



" Several interesting points are worth considering. 

 First, these honey-eaters had probably never seen a 

 snake, though rarely an occasional one has been noticed 

 in the neighbourhood. Secondly, as the birds spend 

 their time near the tops of the eucalypts and build .11 

 the end of fine branches, and the snakes near Adelaide 

 do not climb trees, even had they seen snakes these 

 could have done them no harm. Thirdly, if my inter- 

 in tation of their behaviour be correct, they recognised 

 the ' snake ' bv its form alone, as no movement 

 could take place. Though other unusual objects, but 

 not snake-like in outline, must have been common in 

 a large garden and its surroundings inhabited by 

 children, the same fuss was not noticed to be made 

 over them. From the above it would appear, provided 

 their actions were rightly interpreted, that the birds 

 or their immediate ancestors had probably never seen 

 a snake, and had certainly never been subjected to 

 danger from such ; and that, therefore, the behaviour 

 manifested, presumably to harass and drive away an 

 enemy, must have been purelv instinctive. In othei 

 words, on presentation to vision of, in this case, a 

 motionless objeel of snake-like form, the brain-centres 

 concerned with the methods of combating a foe were 

 automatically stimulated, quite apart from the sensi- 

 tising of such centres by previous individual experience. 



" It is interesting to note here that the fowls in 

 the poultry-run of the same house make a great noise 

 and run for shelter when a hawk flies past through 



NO. 2573, VOL. I02] 



thi trees, though none, so far as is known, had evei 

 been attacked by hawks. Strange to say, another 

 Australian bird, Graucalus melanops, Lath., may give 

 rise to the same reactions, and 1 think I remember 

 having noticed them also when one of the larger 

 cuckoos (probably Cuculus pallidas. Lath.) Hi 

 head. Both these birds have peculiar flights, mon 

 hawk-like than those of pigeons, which, though about 



the same size, do not, in mj experience, frighten 

 poultry. The general form of the large cuckoo is also 

 suggestive of a hawk like the kestrel [Titmun 



cenchroides, Vig. and Horsef.). These 



obviousl) purely instinctive, and nut tin- result 

 "I oei sonal exDerieni 1 



The Shortage of Research Workers. 

 In a pap. . recently read l.. fore the Royal S01 

 Arts on "The Government and tin- Organisation oi 

 Scientific Research," Sir Frank Heath directed atten- 

 tion i" Mm dearth of skilled research worker.-, who 

 are urgently needed n> investigate industrial pi.. 1. 1. 111.. 

 \ll who have studied the question are agreed thai in 

 the near future ile' necessity for industrial scientific 

 research will be greater than ever, and it may, there- 

 fore, be well to point out some preventable causes 

 which are likely to make the situation worse instead 

 "f better. 



During the war research departments have been 

 < stablished at most universities and colleges foi 

 war purposes, and many capable workers have thus 



I been discovered. At the present moment many "I 

 hi 31 departments are in process of demobilisation, 



1 and no concerted effort is being made to retain the 

 services of those who have proved their worth as 

 research workers, who are being allowed to find their 

 ii into other occupations. This waste of invalu- 

 able material is deplorable at the present juncture, 

 and could be avoided by proper co-ordination between 

 Government departments. A second matter, not so 

 easily remedied, relates to the large number of 

 scientific men who gave their services gratuitouslv 

 during tin war, but cannot be expected t" con- 

 tinue this sacrifice in peace-time. No funds app< at 

 to be available for the provision of pavment to -ink 

 workers in case thev are willing to take up indus- 

 trial research in their spare time. Even when 

 workers arc willing to continue for some time longer 

 on a voluntary basis, with the view of completing work 

 in hand, it is not always possible to procure the small 

 funds necessary for covering the expenses incurred 

 in the work. The writer is acquainted with one re- 

 search committee, dealing with problems of wide 

 industrial application, which has been compelled to 

 suspend its work owing to the withdrawal of funds 

 by the Government department which financed its 

 operations during the war. Nothing could be more 

 deplorable at the present juncture than the discourage- 

 ment of voluntary research, and in such cases imme- 

 diate steps should be taken to provide funds from 

 other sources. 



The most disquieting feature, however, is the 

 present financial condition of the universities and 

 colleges from which the research workers of the future 

 must l» obtained. Whilst the cost of equipment 

 has at least doubled, the incomes of thesi institutions 

 have remained, in most cases, stagnant. This not 

 onlv prevents the acquisition of adequate appliances 

 for advanced teaching, but also debars the members 

 of the staffs from obtaining the increases in salarv 

 rendered necessary by the increased cost of living. 

 Manv skilled teachers who have been on active ser- 

 vice are declining to resume their pre-war appoint- 

 ments for this reason, and a serious shortage of 



