Fear in Birds. 
S5 
day, and about a week later they were scarcely to 
be distinguished in behaviour from the adults. It 
is plain that^ with these little birds, fear of man is 
an associate feeling, and that, unless it had been 
taught them, his presence would trouble them as 
little as does that of horse, sheep, or cow. But 
how about the larger species, used as food, and 
which have had a longer and sadder experience of 
man’s destructive power ? 
The rhea, or South American ostrich, philosophers 
tell us, is a very ancient bird on the earth ; and 
from its great size and inability to escape by flight, 
and its excellence as food, especially to savages, 
who prefer fat rank-flavoured flesh, it must have 
been systematically persecuted by man as long as, 
or longer than, any bird now existing on the globe. 
If fear of man ever becomes hereditary in birds, 
we ought certainly to find some trace of such an 
instinct in this species. I have been unable to 
detect any, though I have observed scores of young 
rheas in captivity, taken before the parent bird had 
taught them what to fear. I also once kept a brood 
myself, captured just after they had hatched out. 
With regard to food they were almost, or perhaps 
quite, independent, spending most of the time 
catching flies, grasshoppers, and other insects with 
surprising dexterity ; but of the dangers encom- 
passing the young rhea they knew absolutely 
nothing. They would follow me about as if they 
took me for their parent ; and, whenever I imitated 
the loud snorting or rasping warning-call emitted 
by the old bird in moments of danger, they would 
rush to me in the greatest terror, though no animal 
