1893.] Animal Intelligence. 941 
was out fora morning walk. She never left this ribbon to 
secure food, though I tempted her frequently with insects. 
After an hour or two of promenading, she would leave this 
web and go to her trap-web, which is generally situated near 
her place of amusement. This she kept up day after day 
until the duties of maternity called her elsewhere. I have 
never seen the male. There is but one other instance in the 
animal kingdom where an animal builds a special place of 
amusement. That animal isthe bower bird, of which mention 
will be made further on. 
Curiosity is largely developed in birds. "The blue jay is the 
most curious as well as the most voluble of all birds. I have 
been able to differentiate twenty-three distinct utterances in 
the language, if I may use the word, of the jay. On one occa- 
sion, I left a glass jar containing three newts, on a large block 
of sandstone in my front yard. It had not been there long 
before a jay flew down to examine it. One of the newts made 
a quick motion, and uttering a cry of surprise the jay flew to 
a tree overhead. He remained quiet for an instant, as if in 
profound thought. He then uttered his assembly call and 
birds of all kinds came hurriedly flying up in answer to it. 
In a few moments I noticed in the surroundings trees, jay- 
birds, wood-peckers, sap-suckers, cat birds, song sparrows, ori- 
oles, mocking-birds, blackbirds, pee-wees and flickers. They 
made a terrible outcry, but suddenly became silent, when the 
jay, which had called them together, flew down to the rock. 
Several of his most courageous brethren immediately followed 
him. He went up to the jar, and made a careful examination 
of it and its contents, all the while uttering a low querulous 
monologue. Suddenly he uttered three loud, peculiar cries 
and flew away. The assembly then dispersed. On another 
occasion I noticed a jay sitting silent and absorbed on the roof- 
tree of a grape arbor. He appeared to be watching something 
beneath him very intently. On focusing him in my glasses, I 
discovered that he was in a state of great excitement and 
trembling allover. I noticed the direction of his gaze and soon 
saw the object of his regard. A large male cat was stalking 
, a hare and was just crouching to make his spring. He sprang 
