Phoebe vs. Catbird 



273 



which it probably never had encountered. Eagerly the issue was awaited and 

 great was the surprise when it behaved in the most sensible way. After inspect- 

 ing the cloth for several minutes, it flew directly to the nest and fed its young. 

 Then hovering, it grasped one end of the cloth in its bill and tlying backwards 

 sufficiently to dislodge it, turned and iiew about twenty-five feet before drop- 

 ping it. The experiment was repeated several times and each time with the 

 same result. The yellow cloth was exchanged for a red one but the color 

 seemed to make no difference, and it 

 was treated in the same way. Such is 

 the record of fact. Not being versed 

 in psychology, I can not analyze the 

 sensations that must have arisen in 

 the bird when it was confronted by 

 this totally new experience, nor can I 

 follow the reactions which permitted 

 it to perceive that the brilliant rag 

 was harmless and informed it how it 

 could be dislodged, but I do know 

 that all birds would not have behaved 

 in the same way. This was discovered 

 the next day when the experiment was 

 repeated with a Catbird. 



Two or three days were employed in 

 accustoming this bird to the removal of 

 leaves from before the nest and to the 

 placing of the camera until it incu- 

 bated apparentl)^ undisturbed. If fright- 

 ened away by too close an approach, 

 it soon returned. The same yellow 

 cloth was placed over the nest. The fol- 

 lowing is a record of what happened 

 as transcribed from my journal of that 

 date. "During the first ten minutes 

 that the cloth was in place upon the nest, 

 the female bird inspected ten times at fairly regular intervals, usually peering 

 from the rear or the side. The first and eighth times however, she walked 

 around the edge of the nest. After the tenth inspection, an interval of four 

 minutes ensued before she returned. She then passed around the nest, but 

 inspected its edges more than the rag. The feathers of the nape were usually 

 raised during inspection. After an interval of one minute, she approached the 

 nest from the side, crouching and ruffling the feathers as if about to incubate. 

 She then left for four minutes. Appearing again, she started to incubate on 

 the thick mat of twigs and leaves at one side of the nest, remaining in this 



PHCEBE FLYING BACKWARD TO 

 DISLODGE THE RAG 



