Page images
PDF
EPUB

ing, but now and then it happens among the berry and seedeating species that they do not discriminate between wholesome and unhealthy food, and the result, very naturally, is sickness. I have known robins to be poisoned by eating belladonna berries, and sparrows to become "bewildered" by pecking at trash thrown from an apple-whisky distillery. These occurrences suggested a simple experiment with alcohol, and my victims were crows. While the ground was well covered with snow and the crows quite tame in consequence of the scarcity of food, I soaked some corn with alcohol and placed it where the birds readily found it. In a few minutes it was all devoured by four crows who, like Oliver Twist, were clamorous for more; but their clamor soon ceased. The ordinary intoxicating effects of alcohol soon began to show themselves, and stranger antics no silly parrot ever yet performed. They gave way at first to loud and rapid talking, loud even for a crow; then, after vain endeavors to fly away and subsequent ones to rest upon the topmost rail of a neighboring fence, they gave themselves up to the most ludicrous, subdued mutterings, and finally turned gracefully over, fell from the fence, and lying in uneasy positions upon the snow soon became entirely motionless, as profound slumber overcame them. The facts I desired I believe were obtained. The physiological effects of the alcohol proved to be the same as in man ; and I am convinced that we have an indication here of what is in all probability the case, that their brains are at least so far like our own that the normal operations of the organ are, too, of identical character. Crows see with their eyes, they hear with their ears, and why deny that also they talk with their tongues and throats, and think with their brains? When we realize the full extent of the mental capabilities of birds, the mighty distance that ignorance has imagined lies between the brute creation and mankind becomes narrowed to a little space indeed. So, when we study mankind precisely as he is, and recall the semi-brutal state of prehistoric times, it is doing no violence to truth to see more of humanity in the less favored forms of life, and to admit that our own progress is still clogged by the traces of our former brute-like condition. Allied to the subject of intoxication is that of permanent insanity. Does a functional or organic disease of the brain ever occur in birds? Of course all reference is to birds in a state of nature. We are all familiar with instances of birds in confinement that have apparently died of grief from the loss of their mates. We have here a case of cerebral action

that cannot be explained, if to a bird's brain we only accord the operations of instinct. Grief has no more to do with instinct, pure and simple, than ordinary emotions have to do with the heart; and yet birds certainly do experience all the pains occasioned by grief, and when this becomes excessive, so as to cause death, then it has at least reached the border lands of insanity. I now ask, Do birds ever in their feral state pass quite beyond it? If not wrong in considering intoxication temporary insanity, then certainly birds are at times permanently insane.

It not unfrequently happens that birds are forced to take flight at night, when darkness only is visible, and are wounded or stunned by coming in violent contact with some resisting object. While such an accident usually proves fatal, it not always does so, although permanent cerebral injuries are received. I recall now an instance of a male quail coming with tremendous velocity against a window, literally cutting a passage for itself through the pane, and falling on the floor on the opposite side of the room. The bird was picked up for dead; but while being examined it revived, and the ill effects of the concussion partially passed away; but assuming that the bird was as mentally strong as its fellows before the accident, it was ever after not subject to occasional fits, as a cause of the mishap, but in fact permanently insane. While none of its movements were what one might expect of a quail in confinement, this one had a number of very crazy notions. The most noticeable peculiarity was that of whistling its ordinary call-note backwards, thus, "White'-bob," for Bob-white'. The intonation and accent were exactly reversed, and were at once noticed by every one who had ever heard a quail whistle. While very tame and gentle with the family, it readily recognized strangers as such, and if approached by them would strike at them with its claws, lying flat on its back, reminding one forcibly of a wounded hawk. Another very marked peculiarity of habit was that of chasing or appearing to chase its food, the bird evidently laboring under the impression that its food was alive and endeavoring to escape. It may be claimed that the passage through the pane of glass may have injured its eyesight, and so the apparent chase of its food was caused by disordered vision. This is met by the fact that in no other way did. its vision appear to be affected, and it was tested in several ways; and again, the effects of the concussion would scarcely have caused also an alteration of its vocal organs, as though its larynx by the blow had been turned wrong, end foremost.

Somewhat similar instances have occurred, where birds have been slightly wounded with fine shot. The wounds have entirely healed, the locomotive powers are all restored, and yet the bird is quite another creature, not only in its manner in confinement, but its desire for liberty, so strong in birds, has totally disappeared. The effects of the wounds have been to radically change the mental characteristics; yet, so far as determinable, every function of the body is in proper working order. If, then, it is unnatural in its ways, endeavoring to do many things to which it is not adapted, and which its wild associates never do, it is simply insane; and if insane, then there must be the essential elements of a mind, to become either wholly or in part deranged.

Setting aside these extreme cases of wounded birds, and looking closely at birds at large, we will find a vast difference in the relative vivacity and agility of our feathered friends. This difference, of itself, is interesting; but become familiar through gentleness with the robins and cat-birds that are building their nests near your homes, and make the acquaintance of the bluebirds, sparrows, and wrens, and every creature of the avi-fauna of your neighborhood, and you will surely find among them, here and there, some melancholy individual that has no home, if we limit birds' homes to their nests, and certainly with no visible means of support, if it depends upon its mate to take care of him or her, as the case may be. These birds, unmated, moping, and almost voiceless, are, to say the least, eccentric. One instance in particular is vividly recalled, that of a meadow-lark (Sturnella magna) which for hours would sit upon a certain limb of a dead tree, and only leave it voluntarily for a short time to feed. It never sang, and when on the ground did not associate with its kind, but trotted about with chipping sparrows, along the garden fence. Its one peculiarity, marked above all others, was the resentment with which it met the advances of its fellows. If one perchanced to alight on this crazy lark's adopted home, it would be vigorously attacked, and the intruder invariably was driven off. At such a time it would utter a vigorous chirp, but at no other time did I hear any note uttered. It remained thus, in the one limited spot, for three weeks, and was then found lying dead at the foot of the tree. Dissection showed no peculiarity in the anatomy of its brain or viscera, and there was no indication that it died either of grief or starvation. I believe it simply a case of insanity. Another such case was that of a cat-bird.

This poor fellow for the greater part of one summer haunted a row of currant bushes, in a very melancholy mood the while, and when seen by other cat-birds, they would immediately give it chase. The persecuted bird was readily recognized by having a single snow-white feather in its tail, which was otherwise of normal size and color. It is not to be supposed that albinism which extended only to one feather could have been the cause of this ostracism, and we refer the cause to the mental state of the bird, and that being recognized as weaker and perhaps otherwise unnatural, they would have killed it had it not been able to escape their attacks by taking refuge in dense foliage close to the ground. Its movements indicated physical health, its loneliness and inability -shall we say? to please its fellows, indicated mental ill health, that is, insanity.

[ocr errors]

It is scarcely necessary, and space forbids our going further into details in the elaboration of such phases of bird life as, to human comprehension, are apparently identical with the allied acts in man; and, indeed, if it can be shown that under any one circumstance a bird thinks, it as satisfactorily determines that the creature has a thought-producing brain, as though we trace his mental powers from the nest to the close of adult life. Have we not more than one such circumstance here narrated, as a "proof that birds possess a faculty indistinguishable, so far as it goes, from human reason"? When noting the circumstances of limited migrations, we saw that it was not a blind movement on the part of each individual, but the influence being alike recognized by all, they congregated and departed with a full knowledge of whither they were going, this predetermination being shown by the character of their movements while journeying. The validity of the opinion that birds fully comprehend and attach definite meanings to their range of utterances we endeavored to show in the flocking of allied species and genera, instead of the promiscuous assembling of birds of widely differing types. Their love of company was pointed out as bearing, too, upon the subject of language as man understands it, being also an attribute of birds, this association extending beyond the duration of nidification, and not limited to single pairs, but the individuals of each species residing in considerable areas. This love of the company of their own kind is not a mute association, but marked by an extensive range of vocal powers other than their songs proper, which bear the relation to language that singing does to conversation in ourselves, and bear every indi

cation of being expressed for the purpose of conveying to others thought on the part of the utterer. When birds are nest-build

ing I have shown that the subject of future requirements is duly considered, when the thought occurs to the busy birds, and is acted upon by both, after its necessary communication by one to the other, in an intelligent manner, thereby demonstrating a cerebral action identical with that of man when analogously circumstanced. I have endeavored to show that cunning on the part of crows was largely acquired, and differed in individuals, showing a variation in brain power, and also that their association was too well organized to be looked upon as other than one where there were some superior intellects to guard the interests of their masses. Finally, we have seen that the ordinary physiological effects of alcohol, such as obtain in man, render birds liable to drunkenness when they unwittingly indulge too freely; and just as their brains, as do human brains, respond to its effects, so there is also abundance of reason for believing that insanity, too, may arise from just such causes as produce this malady in

man.

Thus, rapidly glancing over the range of bird-life, in its feral state and in confinement, in health and in disease, we may see that much that is often thought peculiar to mankind is partially, also, an attribute of birds. We must, if disposed to see all animate nature with unbiassed minds, grant to these lower forms a higher grade of intelligence; and if, as yet, we cannot bridge the chasm that separates us from them, it is not so much that the chasm is too broad as that our pride and ignorance vainly supposes it to be wider than it is.

THE AGE OF THIS EARTH.

BY H. P. MALET.

N able article in the Quarterly Review for July, 1876, gives the calculations of several sciences, differing from one another by tens and hundreds of millions of years, on the age of our cosmical system.

Physical geography was not represented; we claim for it not only as great a knowledge of facts in reference to the main point as any other science possesses, but the means of enabling us to point out where other sciences seem to be in error as to time, to data, and consequently in their complex calculations.

« EelmineJätka »