144 
THE NATURALISTS^ COINIl^ANION. 
Some Peculiar Features of Bird 
Life. 
BY W. R. LIGHTON, L'RESTON, IOWA. 
It is a Study of by no means secondary 
interest and importance to note the so¬ 
cial and domestic relations of our wild 
birds ; particularly the comparative abil¬ 
ity of the several species as tricksters 
and schemers. It is especially curious 
to observe the wiles and artifices made 
use of by some of these highly original 
creatures during the nesting season to 
decoy or frighten enemies from the vi¬ 
cinity of their homes. 
The Robin and the Thrushes, as sim¬ 
ple minded birds as live, though very 
courageous when engaged in brawls 
with other species, are exceedingly alarm¬ 
ed whenever their nests are approached 
by members of the human family, 
and they will almost universally abandon 
themselves to the time-worn strategy of 
flying, with great noise and fluttering of 
wings, from tree to tree away from the 
vicinity of the nest, in the rash hope of 
being able to induce the intruder to fol¬ 
low. The same scheme with some vari¬ 
ations and modifications, is in use by a 
large number of our feather-coated 
friends ; as for example take this bit of 
the writer’s experience. 
One day in the summer of 1884 I was 
passing through an apple orchard in the 
vicinity of Ottomwa, Iowa,—passing 
through, mind, if you please—and was 
deeply absorbed in the beauties of nature 
in general, and of one red and juicy 
morsel in particular, when I was startled 
by a Turtle-dove dropping to the ground 
from the tree overhead and with piteous 
cries starting and fluttering along, drag-, 
ging one wing after it in a helpless fash¬ 
ion in perfect imitation of a compound 
fracture, and I, forgetting some early 
lessons in the manners and customs of 
the tribe, started after it in hot persuit. 
I was led a pretty chase over numberless 
bush-heaps and several rail fences, the 
bird always keeping just beyond reach, 
until we had gone perhaps a hundred 
and fifty yards, when the wretched little 
deceiver flew up and away in a manner 
betaking full possession of its powers of 
flight. I paused, and after ponderously 
ruminating for a considerable length of 
time, came to the conclusion that I had 
been made the victim of a hoax, and 
upon retracing my steps and making a 
careful examination of the tree I found 
a specimen of the loosely-built nest of 
twigs and sticks for which the Turtle¬ 
dove is so well known. Several times 
afterwards during the day I tried the 
same thing over again byway of experi¬ 
ment, and always with the same result. 
I noticed she always feinted with the 
same wing—the right one. 
This decoy, you see, is the same as 
that adopted by the Robin, only a good 
deal more intelligently operated. 
It is a popular belief that the 
Mourning-dove (or Turtle-dove) is in 
itself symbolical of infinite love and 
peace, while in leality a more selfish, 
quarrelsome and totaly depraved charac-\ 
ter it would be hard to find. It is ex- 
tiemely pugnaceous, and usually cariies 
its combats to the last extremity. 
The Catbird is by no means a lover 
of peace from principle; it very frequent¬ 
ly wages bitter war, but in its fights it 
does not take advantage of any false 
reputation to surprise its enemies una¬ 
ware. The Catbird is not so common 
here as it is in the Eastern States; its 
exquisite song is heard only occasional¬ 
ly in this part of Iowa, though it is quite 
common a hundred miles or so both 
east and south of Creston. 
