180 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 370. 



great facility. The voices of jays in repro- 

 ducing speech are particularly melodious 

 and lack the peculiar phonographic timbre 

 characteristic of most parrots and of star- 

 lings. 



Mention must be made here of the mines 

 (genus Mainatus) of India as on the 

 whole the most receptive among birds in 

 learning to talk, sing and imitate all sounds 

 of a mechanical kind. All these results 

 have been achieved by education, that is, 

 direct teaching with intent on the part of 

 the human instructor. 



The third part of this discussion, that 

 which deals with the propensity of caged 

 birds to imitate or reproduce, voluntarily, 

 sounds that attract their attention, needs a 

 few words of explanation. 



No direct efEort or intention on the part 

 of a human agent is a factor in this cate- 

 gory. All but one instance that I shall 

 adduce of this kind of ability have oc- 

 curred in an experience covering some six 

 or seven years with birds obtained in ways, 

 and kept under conditions, that require 

 brief consideration. These birds are all 

 hand- reared wild species ; birds taken from 

 the nest when very young and raised by 

 hand. As soon as such birds were able to 

 feed and care for themselves they were 

 liberated in large rooms having as near 

 freedom as confinement would allow. No 

 instruction was given to them. In a word, 

 it was an effort to observe ivhat birds 

 would do if left to themselves and supplied 

 with food and water. No effort was made 

 to keep these birds from hearing the song 

 of wild birds out of doors. The species 

 dealt with in this way are comprised in the 

 following list: 



12 bluebirds (Sialia sialis). 



14 robins {Mcrula migratoria) . 



6 wood thrushes (Hylocichla muste- 

 lina ) . 



7 catbirds (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) . 

 2 thrashers (HarporhyncMis rufus). 



2 yellow-breasted chats {Icteria virens). 

 2 rose-breasted grosbeaks {Zamelodia 

 ludoviciana) . 



1 cardinal {Cardinalis cardinalis). 



6 Baltimore orioles {Icterus galhula). 



7 orchard orioles {Icterus spurius). 



1 bobolink {Dolichonyx oryzivorus) . 



2 cowbirds {Blolothrus ater). 



4 crow-blackbirds {Quiscalus quiscula). 



5 red-winged blackbirds {Agelaius phce- 

 niceus). 



1 meadow-lark {Sturnella magna). 



6 blue jays {Cyanocitta cristata). 



It will be sufficient for us to consider 

 only the very marked acquirement shown 

 by individuals among these birds, none of 

 whose songs are quite normal. A number 

 of the robins have peculiar songs that in 

 no way resemble wild robins' songs. I 

 should call them invented songs, for lack of 

 a better name. 



The wood thrushes' song varies much 

 from the normal, but can hardly be re- 

 garded as invented or original. 



Catbirds did much mimicry of the songs 

 of other birds. 



A yellow-breasted chat is worthy of par- 

 ticular mention. This was a bird taken 

 with another from a nest in May. In Sep- 

 tember of the same year I was busy in cor- 

 recting proof for a forthcoming book of 

 some size, so that for at least three months 

 a part of each day was devoted to this 

 work. The manuscript and proof were de- 

 livered by a postman. There were three 

 deliveries each day. Ordinarily the post- 

 man dropped the mail into a slot in the 

 door, but when he had a package of proof 

 this was not feasible and he sounded a 

 call or postman's whistle for some one to 

 come to relieve him. One afternoon in 

 September, about the time I was expecting 

 proof the whistle sounded and I went to 

 the door. No one was there. My first im- 

 pression was that some boy in the neigh- 

 borhood was up to mischief. The experi- 



