File:Birds and nature (1904) (14750289325).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature151904chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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zed the jays of theupper region of the White Mountains.Explorers of the uninhabited islandsof the sea have almost uniformlydiscovered the same lack of fear amongthe birds and animals native tO themfound upon them, which generally canbe approached and handled. It isalmost unnecessary to say that all kindsof birds of our settled districts shylyavoid man, and fly or run from him, andthat their young seem to inherit theirfear of him to that degree that, almostat the moment of birth, they instinct-ively recognize the parental note ofdanger, and obey its command as wellas they can. What is the deduction asto the transmission of their acquiredcharacteristics by inheritance? Thefear is acquired by mingling with man-kind and noticing that they sometimeskill them, sometimes capture and carrythem off, and sometimes rob their nests;and, as I have pointed out, they trans-mit their fear to their fledglings, whofully understand their parents words—when they say danger, lay low. Anson C. Allen. 116
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3 i s CO THE YELLOW RAIL. (Porzana noveboracensis.) The summer home of the Yellow Railis in the swamps, marshes and the reedymargins of streams and lakes of the east-ern United States, northward to HudsonBay and westward from Nova Scotia toUtah and Nevada. It winters in theSouthern States. It has been considereda very rare bird by many students. It is,however, quite common in many local-ities, but because of the tall grasses andsedges which it frequents, it is rarelyseen unless flushed by dogs. It has areputation for rarity that doubtless theblackbirds, bobolinks and marsh wrens,which alone can penetrate into the mys-teries of the sedges, would express differ-ently were they able to retail secrets. Itis an exceedingly timid bird, and seemsto fully realize that it can more readilyescape danger within the tall and densegrowth of marsh herbage than it could byflight. The compressed head and bodyof the Yellow Rail permits it to run rap-idly through the narrow and windinglanes between the

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