360 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Aristotle, from being an a priori anticipation, it became a detailed 

 interpretation, of which Darwin was chief interpreter. From a 

 model interpretation — an explanation of the mode by which things 

 came— it became a causal theory, the most convincing part of which 

 would always be called Darwinism. We had to take into considera- 

 tion, besides the personality of Darwin, the w T ork of other pioneers, 

 the development of thought, social changes, the ripening of public 

 opinion. But granted that the man and the moment came together, 

 we had still to remember that Darwin succeeded where others had 

 failed, had put forward a more plausible theory of the process than 

 others had been able to do ; and that of his condescension he wrote 

 so that all men could understand." 



In the ' Avicultural Magazine,' published this month, Dr. A. G. 

 Butler contributes an interesting article on " Morality in Birds." He 

 thus concludes : — " Touching the question of meum and tuum, we all 

 know that birds have no conscience ; they rob one another wmenever 

 the chance offers, and believe to the full in the doctrine of the survival 

 of the fittest. They do, how 7 ever, sometimes seem to be compassionate 

 towards young birds left orphans, for I have knowm a Eobin to help 

 to rear young Thrushes w T hen a cat had killed her own young and one 

 of the parent Thrushes had been shot ; yet it is probable that this 

 was only a way in which the arrested feeding-fever was workini 

 itself out, and no more creditable than is the love of female children 

 for dolls. If, therefore, there is any moral sense in birds, it would 

 seem to be limited to the female sex, and as a guard against pairing 



between parent and child In the case of fanciers' birds — 



Canaries', poultry, Pigeons, and even Barbary Doves — I have little 

 doubt that all moral sense is lacking, owing to man's constant 

 supervision, high feeding, and other things which encourage an un- 

 natural condition ; all experiments, therefore, should be conducted 

 with birds which retain their wild character and have not been long 

 under man's care." 



