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 Ufe 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, 

 204 



