110 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 





Pliotofjrnphs by S. Prentiss Baldwin 



HYPNOTIZED, OR JUST "pLAYIn' POSSUm"? 



When held in the hand for a short time and then turned over on their backs, birds appear 

 to be affected hypnotically. Practically all species react similarly, but some are slower than 

 others in becoming quiescent. They remain quite rigid for from a few seconds to several 

 minutes and then dart away. From top to bottom, the birds shown here are a IMourning Dove, 

 Blue Jay, Cardinal, and Brown Thrasher (see text, page Ii6). 



