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 
deliberately impaled a piece of cloth upon a thorn 
in order that it might be held firmly while they pulled 
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 skill 
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. 
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