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BIRDS — CURIOSITY, PRIDE, PLAY. 
placed within sight, say of ducks, the birds approach to 
examine them, and fall into the snares which have been 
prepared. Similarly, in oceanic islands unfrequented by 
man, the birds fearlessly approach to examine the first 
human beings that they have seen. 
That birds exhibit pride might be considered doubtful 
if we had to rely only on the evidence supplied by the 
display of the peacock, and the strutting of the turkey- 
gobbler : for these actions, although so expressive of this 
emotion, may not really be due to it. But I think that 
the evident pleasure which is taken in achievement by 
talking birds can only be ascribed to the emotion in ques- 
tion. These birds regularly practise their art, and when 
a new phrase is perfected they show an unmistakable de- 
light in displaying the result. 
Play is exhibited by many species in various ways, and 
it seems to be this class of feelings in their most organised 
form which have led to the extraordinary instincts of the 
bower-birds of New South Wales. The ‘playhouses’ 
of the animals have been described by Mr. Gould in his 
6 History of the Birds- of New South Wales/ Of course the 
play-instincts are here united with those of courtship, which 
are of such general occurrence among birds ; but I think 
no one can read Mr. Gould’s description of the bowers and 
the uses to which they are put without feeling that the 
love of sportive play must have been joined with the 
sexual instincts in producing the result. But, be this as 
it may, there can be no question that these bowers are 
highly interesting structures, as furnishing the most un- 
exceptionable evidence of true aesthetic, if not artistic 
feeling on the part of the bird w T hich constructs them ; and, 
according to Mr. Herbert Spencer, the artistic feelings are 
physiologically allied with those of play. It is a matter 
of importance to obtain definite proof of an aesthetic sense 
in animals, because this constitutes the basis of Mr. Dar- 
win’s theory of sexual selection ; but as he has treated the 
evidence on this subject in so exhaustive a manner, I shall 
not enter upon so wide a field further than to point out 
that the case of the bower-bird, even if it stood alone, 
would be amply sufficient to carry the general conclusion 
