PROVIDENT INSTINCTS 309 



the case of one species decorated with moss and 

 picked flowers and shoots, and in that of the other 

 with sticks and black beetles and berries. Bower-birds 

 will visit lonely huts, at times, to steal objects, 

 recalling the well-known propensity of their rela- 

 tions the Crows, which hoard both trinkets and 

 food. 



The instinct of food-storage, important as it is, 

 has been developed in but a few birds, chiefly 

 Passerines, and it is especially noticeable in the 

 Crow tribe, though one does not often get a chance 

 of observing it in wild birds. It is, however, 

 particularly well known in the Jays, which, feeding 

 so much on such non-perishable food as acorns, 

 have every encouragement to develop the habit. 

 Tits also store food, the Cole-Tit being particularly 

 assiduous, when fed at a bird-table, in carrying off 

 bits and coming back quickly for a fresh supply. 

 The Nuthatch has the food-storage instinct well 

 developed, and a caged pair I had not only stored 

 sunflower-seed in the chinks of the back of their 

 large cage, but even live harvest-men -spiders or 

 daddy-long-legs, without even taking the trouble 

 to kill the unfortunate arachnids, but jamming 

 them in ruthlessly and leaving them to kick. 



Shrikes, also, are suspected of impaling their 

 prey alive in many cases ; the habit of doing so, 

 v^-hich seems to be far better developed in the 

 northern than in Indian species, is ilo doubt a 

 form of food-storage, for they are quite capable 

 of holding their food in their foot like Hawks, and 



