HAWKS AND PALCONS. 



soaring vertically over thorn, lot fall the sparrow, upon ■which the 

 yovmglinga pounced. lu the first attempts, the latter invariably 

 failed in seizing the sparrow, not being yet sufficiently adroit. 

 The old birds would then descend, and, seizing the prey, rise 

 with it into the air once more, -and lot it fall again upon the 

 young ; nor would they iillow the latter to devour it until they 

 succeeded in catching it as it fell. 



These lessons were progressive. The prey first let fall on their 

 younglings was dead. When they had acquired suJfioient skill to 

 seize this in falling through the air, the old parents brought living 

 birds, first more or less disabled, and afterwards uninjured, upon 

 which they exercised their young in the same manner ; and this 

 was continued until the young birds were fully able to pursue and 

 seize their prey without further practice or instruction. 



Every one has seen the cat give to her kittens similar progressive 

 lessons. 



She commences by biting a mouse so as to stun, or slightly dis- 

 able, without IdUing it. She then liberates this mouse before her 

 kittens, and encourages them to pursue it, the matron cat standing 

 by, a vigilant observer of the scene. If the mouse shows any 

 sign of escaping, she immediately pounces upon it, and disables it 

 so effectually, tliat her kittens soon finish it. 



According to Daubenton, the eagle carries its eaglet aloft 

 upon its wings, and lotting it go in mid air, tries its powers of 

 flight. If its strength fails, the mother is sure to be at hand to 

 support it. 



113. Among the acts of animals which are obvious results of 

 intelligence and not of instinct, the following may serve as 

 instructive and interesting examples : — 



Plutarch relates, that a dog desiring to drink the oil contained 

 in a pitcher with a narrow mouth, the surface of the liquid being 

 so low as to be out of the reach of his mouth, threw pebbles into 

 it, which sinking in the oil, caused its surface to rise so high that 

 the dog could lap it up. According to Plutarch, the dog must 

 in this case have reasoned thus : the pebbles being heavier 

 than the oil will sink to the bottom ; they will displace part of 

 the oil, and will displace more and more the more of them that 

 are thrown in ; therefore by throwing in a sufficient number, the 

 surface of the oil must necessarily rise to the dog's mouth. 



114. M. Flourens relates the following anecdote of bears in the 

 Garden of Plants : — ' 



It happened that these animals multiplied until there were 

 more of them than it was desired to keep, and it was resolved to 

 get rid of two. It w^s proposed to poison them with prussic 

 acid. For this purpose some drops of that liquid were poured 



167 



