A New Method of Bird Study and Photography. 3 



It seems at first thought strange and ahnost incredible tliat one may take sucli 

 liberties with wild birds, \vithout wreaking destruction upon the young or introducing 

 such unnatural conditions as would be intolerable to every true student Principles which 

 and lover of birds, but this is by no means the case. No injury is underlie the 



wrought upon old or young. The former nesting conditions are soon Method, 



forgotten, while the new are quickly adopted and defended with all the boldness and 

 persistence of which birds are capable. 



This method of studying birds depends mainly upon the strength of the parental in- 

 stincts which bind old to young by an invisible chain, and upon the ease with which a 

 bird learns to adapt itself to new conditions. Upon more complete analysis \ve recognize 

 the following psychological principles : 



(a) The strength of an instinct increases through e.xercise, and may be reen forced by 

 habit ; 



(b) An instinctive impulse may be blocked or suppressed by any contrary impulse ; 



(c) The instinct of fear is often temporarily suppressed by the fighting instinct, or 

 permanently overcome by the repetition of any experience leading to the formation of 

 new habits or associations. 



We may also add : 



(d) New habits are readily formed and reenforce or supplant those of older growth • 



(e) Abstract ideas, if they form any part of the furniture of the average bird-mind, are 

 extremely hazy and fleeting; 



(f) Finally we must recall the physiological fact that birds are guided in most of their 

 operations by sight and hearing, not by scent. Their olfactory organ is very rudimentary 

 at best, and avails them neither in finding food, nor in avoiding enemies. 



After a brief analysis of the parental instincts we will endeavor to show how the 

 principles just given are applied to the problem of approaching wild birds in the way 

 described. 



The parental instincts begin to control the life of the adult with the periodic revival 

 of the reproductive functions, and vary greatly in their scope and intensity at the difTerent 

 stages of their reign as well as in different species of birds. They are periodic, recurring 

 at definite intervals during sexual life and in serial form, one kind of act usually leadino- 

 to the next in sequence, and so on until the series is complete. 



When more than one litter is produced in a season, the series of events is repeated 

 with minor changes If we include the typical migratory movements, the principal terms 

 of the reproductive cycle may be expressed more fully as follows: 



(i) Spring migration of the summer residents to the place of birth ; 



(2) Mating; 



(3) Selection of nesting site and construction of the nest ; 



(4) Egg-laying; 



(5) Incubation ; 



(6) Care of the young in the nest, including feeding, and cleaning nest and )'oung; 



(7) Care and education of young from time of flight ; 



(8) Fall migration to winter quarters. 



Birds seem to follow one line of conduct, whether it be sitting over the eggs, brood- 

 ing, or tending the young, until their instinct in that particular direction has been satisfied, 



