WAYS OF NATURE 
nest? Why are these parasitical birds found the 
world over? Who knows? Only there seems to be a 
parasitical principle in Nature that runs all through 
her works, in the vegetable as well as in the ani- 
mal kingdom. Why is the porcupine so tame and 
stupid? Because it does not have to hunt for its 
game, and is self-armed against all comers. The 
struggle of life has not developed its wits. Why are 
robins so abundant ? Because they are so adaptive, 
both as regards their food and their nesting-habits. 
They eat both fruit and insects, and will nest any- 
where — in trees, sheds, walls, and on the ground. 
Why is the fox so cunning? Because the discipline 
of life has made him cunning. Man has probably 
always been after his fur; and his subsistence has 
not been easily obtained. If you ask me why the 
crow is so cunning, I shall be put to it for an ade- 
quate answer. It seems as if nobody could ever have 
wanted his skin or his carcass, and his diet does not 
compel him to outwit live game, as does that of the 
fox. His jet black plumage exposes him alike winter 
and summer. This drawback he has had to meet by 
added wit, but I can think of no other way in which 
he is handicapped. I do not know that he has any 
natural enemies; yet he is one of the most suspicious 
of the fowls of the air. Why is the Canada jay so 
much tamer than are other jays? They belong 
farther north, where they see less of man; they are 
birds of the wilderness; they are often, no doubt, 
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