Certain Phases of Bird-Life, 
[July. 
As an instance I will quote from my field-notes, with re- 
ference to the indigo-bird : — “ June 23, 1873. Found a nest 
of this species in a dense thicket of blackberry, and, curiously 
enough, within just seven paces of the railroad-track. The 
young birds were just ready to leave the nest. I visited the 
nest the next day, and saw on my approach one of the four 
young birds sitting on a brier-stem, about a yard from the 
nest. Taking a favourable position, I continued to watch 
the birds closely, as they were very restless and noisy. 
Evidently something unusual had occurred or was occurring. 
In a few moments I saw the hen bird go to the nest, and 
push one of the young birds out of the nest. It forced it 
from the edge of the nest, to which it clung with its feet. 
Once free, the little fellow struggled to keep itself up, 
throwing up its wings, as a child would straighten out its 
arms when falling. This was the initial movement that 
developed into flight. All of the young birds were thus 
forced from the nest, and I am satisfied from no outside 
cause, as, for the three following evenings, the young re- 
turned to the nest to roost. I spent several hours watching 
this brood and their parents, and the whole time was occu- 
pied, except short intervals when they were fed, in forcing 
the young birds from point to point, but ever keeping them 
from the railroad-track, over which trains passed frequently. 
Two days from leaving the nest they could fly 6 or 8 yards, 
but always from a higher to a lower perch, and regained the 
more elevated branches by very short, ‘jumping’ flights, 
with a laborious flapping of the wings ; but on the fifth day 
they could follow their parents almost any distance, and 
execute an upward flight with apparently the same ease. 
Examination of the wing-feathers on the 30th of June, as 
compared with a week previous, showed so slight gain in 
the growth of the feathers that I believe nothing in the in- 
creased flight-power was due to their being now better 
fledged.” 
Such observations as the one noted in detail I have so 
frequently repeated with widely-differing species as to satisfy 
me that what may be termed “ direCt instruction ” in flight 
is given to the young birds by their parents. “ Indirect 
instruction ” also is noticeable, in the faCt that the parent- 
birds cease to feed their young, and so force the latter to 
leave the nest and follow them. Once out of the nest they 
soon endeavour to walk on air, as it were, and, falling, open 
their wings, and, as described, thus take the initial step. 
This ceasing to bring the food to the young while yet in the 
nest is done in some instances, I judge, only to draw them 
