WAYS OF NATURE 



nesting-material, trying to carry away the strings 

 that orioles had attached to branches. According to 

 our sentimental " School of Nature Study," the birds 

 should have untied and unsnarled the strings in a 

 human way, but they did not; they simply tugged 

 at them, bringing their weight to bear, and tried to 

 fly away with the loose end. 



In view of the ignorance of birds with regard to 

 strings, how can we credit the story told by one of 

 our popular nature writers of a pair of orioles that 

 deUberately impaled a piece of cloth upon a thorn 

 in order that it might be held firmly while they puUed 

 out the threads ? When it came loose, they refastened 

 it. The story is incredible for two reasons: (1) the 

 male oriole does not assist the female in building the 

 nest ; he only furnishes the music ; (2) the whole 

 proceeding implies an amount of reflection and skiU 

 in dealing with a new problem that none of our 

 birds possess. What experience has the race of 

 orioles had with cloth, that any member of it should 

 know how to unravel it in that way ? The whole idea 

 is absurd. 



IV. MIMICRY 



To what lengths the protective resemblance the- 

 ory is pushed by some of its expounders! Thus, 

 in the neighborhood of Rio Janeiro there are two 

 species of hawks that closely resemble each other, 

 but one eats only insects and the other eats birds. 



