74 HOME STUDIES IN NATURE. 



his side, and seemed determined not to help himself. 

 Finally the parent, seeming to lose patience, gave him 

 a tap on the head, and then coolly proceeded to regale 

 himself with the fruit. The young one now shut his 

 mouth for a little time, but soon was gaping again ; 

 upon this the irate father was more severe, and gave 

 him quite a drubbing, as much as to say, " Now help 

 yourself, and stop your gaping !" He continued, how- 

 ever, to provide his young family with insects several 

 days after this incident. 



Parental chastisement was inflicted in this case, evi- 

 dently for the good of the young one, or why would 

 he have continued to supply them with insects, which 

 were more difficult to obtain ? 



A close observer of birds cannot fail to see that they 

 exercise reason and forethought, not only in the man- 

 agement of the young, but in many other things. 



Let me ask those who deny to animals any faculty 

 except instinct what it is that induces birds to vary 

 from their usual mode of procedure. They sometimes 

 leave their habitat in the woods for our lawns and gar- 

 dens, and, as opportunity offers, choose new materials 

 and new methods for the construction of their nests. 



In the spring of 1870 a pair of house wrens (Troglo- 

 dytes cedori) selected the oddest place imaginable for 

 the site of their mansion, which looked as if solely 

 prompted by a love of mischief. It was on the top of 

 a barn-swallow's nest. There were several nests of the 

 swallows attached to the rafters in a low room over a 



