utility has been lost through changed conditions, or through 
migration into a very different region.” If accustomed to 
build on high posts to avoid poisonous snakes and other 
adverse features they migrate to a country where these pre¬ 
cautions are unnecessary they continue to build their huts 
on tall posts. No one imputes this stationary condition of 
domestic architecture among these savage tribes to instinct, 
but to simple imitation from one generation to another, and 
the absence of any sufficiently powerful stimulus to change 
or improvement. He says it is difficult to conceive an Arabian 
infant transferred to the Scottish Highlands or to Patagonia 
building, when grown up, a tent of skins. He undoubtedly 
would follow the custom of his foster parents. “These gen¬ 
eral characteristics of the abode of savage man will be found 
to be exactly paralleled by the nests of birds.” These feathered 
creatures construct their nests out of material nearest at hand. 
If one regards the bird’s implements with which he works, 
namely, the bill and feet, he will find the nests more or less 
perfect according to the perfection of the tools involved in 
the task. Pigeons with weak bill and feet build a rude nest 
of twigs and sticks; the wren with slender beak and long 
legs forms a well-woven nest. Wallace cites many species 
of birds to sustain his theory. The nighthawk and whip¬ 
poorwill having the most imperfect tools of all, feet that will 
not support them except on a flat surface and a bill broad, 
short and weak, lay their eggs on the bare ground. Wallace 
also refers to parrots, sandpipers, gulls and other birds to 
further sustain his contention. Birds brought up in confine¬ 
ment acquire the song of birds associated with them and 
sing by imitation, as they build their nests by imitation. 
One of our members, in an interesting communication on 
birds’ nests suggests that the members make a collection of 
the photographs of various birds’ nests with an effort to get 
the pictures of every species. To collect the nests would 
finally result in a bulky mass difficult to handle, but photo¬ 
graphs could be kept in folios. The Peabody Museum would 
gladly care for a collection of this nature. An extensive 
collection of this kind would be a sound contribution to a 
knowledge of our birds. It would be important to science 
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