Habit and instinct / by C. Lloyd Morgan.

  • Morgan, C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd), 1852-1936.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Habit and instinct / by C. Lloyd Morgan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    71/402 (page 57)
    again as it crawled off, and, after two or three attempts, swallowed it, tossing it back from the point of the bill into the throat. This was the first time he took food from the ground, or swallowed it in this manner. At a later date, when both had learnt to pick up their own food, I gave them a small dead bird, which they at once fell upon and tore to pieces, eating every morsel. I had at the time two young fly-catchers, which could just feel their wings in short flights. The cage in which the jays were kept was outside the window of the room, and when the fly-catchers were being fed the window was closed. After their meal the little birds would take short flights in the room, and if one reached the window-pane, both jays became much excited. A fatal day came when I carelessly omitted to close the window. One of the fly-catchers, without waiting to be fed, flew off as soon as his cage was opened, and, before I could avert the calamity, reached the jays’ cage and put his head through the wire network. Like a lance the jay was on him, and the head was nearly wrenched from the body. The bird died at once, almost without a flutter. On another occasion a small frog was placed in the jays’ cage. One of the birds hopped down, but the frog shrieked so, that both birds were apparently frightened. I had not the heart to leave the frog in the cage, and gave it liberty. Nearly a fortnight later (some days after the fly- catcher tragedy), I put in a small toad, about an inch and a half long. One jay seized it with the tip of his bill and threw the toad aside, leaping up on to his perch again. The toad remained perfectly motionless, resting on all fours, with the body raised well off the ground, in a seemingly strained attitude, and continued thus for nearly twelve minutes. At first one of the jays kept hopping down from his perch, with wings well up over his back, nearly,