192 



IN BIRD LAND. 



ting on the sand and twinkling his pinions. But the 

 time came when all the birds discovered of their 

 own accord that the proper way was to leap right 

 into the lavatory. 



How early in life do juvenile birds begin to sing ? 

 That is a question, I venture to say, that very few 

 students of bird life would be able to answer. It 

 may be difficult to believe — if my own ears had 

 not heard, I should be very skeptical of the accuracy 

 of the assertion — but my wood-thrushes had not 

 been in my care more than three or four weeks 

 before one of them began to twitter a little song. 

 He could not have been much more than five weeks 

 old. This is all the more remarkable when it is 

 remembered that there were no adult thrushes within 

 a half-mile of the house. He seemed to discover 

 that he had a voice, and thought he might as well 

 use it. 



Ah, yes, and sad to relate, my high-school pupils 

 soon learned to quarrel, and that without the 

 example of their elders. When I threw a billsome 

 morsel on the floor of the cage, several of them 

 would make a dive for it, and soon get into a 

 wrangle. " It 's mine ! it 's mine ! " each would 

 proclaim by his greedy behavior. Then perhaps 

 two would seize it, and tug at it like boys fighting for 

 an apple. Or if one contrived to get it first, the rest 

 would try to wrench it from his beak, and thus 

 they would pursue one another about in a wild chase. 

 The thrasher, being younger than his fellows, was 

 for a time cheated out of every choice morsel he 



