OliNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION IN ICELAND. 65 



one continuing to swim as before, quickly flew back to it and 

 pressed upon it again. Then again it flew off to just about the 

 same distance, but was no more followed this second time than 

 it was the first. The called or summoned or commanded bird 

 was deaf to call, summons or command, and showed a jjroperly 

 developed will of its own, in the enjoyment of which it was now 

 left. Now if it was the male bird who thus failed to ref^pond to 

 the wishes — sexual or otherwise — of the female, where was the 

 subjection on his part? — and, a fortiori, there would be none if 

 it were he and not she who thus endeavoured to initiate a move- 

 ment, even though unsuccessfully. 



Just before this, four Phalaropes flew, one after the other, in 

 aerial single file, the movements, turns, darts, &c., of all being 

 identical and synchronously performed which had an odd, yet 

 pleasing effect. It would, of course, be natural to suppose that 

 the movements of the first bird were aped by the second, of the 

 second by the third and of the third by the fourth, but surely, 

 in that case, there should have been a perceptible interval of 

 time between those of the first and fourth, if not of the first and 

 second, &c., whereas they all seemed to me to take place at one 

 and the same instant. All three, it may be said, however 

 (but not, I think, truly), might have seen and followed the 

 movements of the first. On either view we have to assume that 

 three of the four birds wished or felt impelled to cut out exactly 

 the same pattern in the air that a bird preceding them did, 

 which, in itself, would be curious. Few probably will suppose 

 that this was a case of aerial drill, and that cries of command 

 (to me inaudible) equivalent to " Right-turn," " Left-turn," 

 "Wheel," "Half-wheel," &c., were uttered, or such ideas in 

 some other way signified, a theory, however, w4nch, to my mind, 

 is still more untenable when we seek to explain identical move- 

 ments at one and the same instant of time, throughout a great 

 crowd of flying birds — Starlings, for instance. Various con- 

 siderations (such evidence as I have been able to gather in the 

 course of much psychical reading being one of these) incline me 

 to think it possible that beings may float, as it were, together in 

 a sort of subliminal sea, by the waves and tides of which they 

 may both, at any time, be swayed, and also, at any time act 

 independently of. This may, of course, not be quite right, but 



