n an exposed place.

In her charming little book, "True Bird Stories," Mrs. Olive Thorne
Miller says that she "once watched the doings in a crow nursery." I
quote:

"The most important thing the elders had to do was to teach the
youngsters how to fly, and every little while one or both of the
parents would fly around the pasture, giving a peculiar call as they
went. This call appeared to be an order to the little folks to follow,
for all would start up and circle round for a minute or two, and then
drop back to the fence or the ground to rest.

"Once, while I was watching them, this cry was given, and all flew as
usual except one bob-tailed baby, who stood on a big stone in the
middle of the field. He was perhaps so comfortable that he did not
want to go, or it may be he was afraid, and thought mamma would not
notice him. But mothers' eyes are sharp, and she did see him. She
knew, too, that baby crows must learn to fly; so when all came down
again she flew right at the naughty bird, and knocked him off his
perch. He squawked, and fluttered his wings to keep from falling, but
the blow came so suddenly that he had not time to save himself, and he
fell flat on the ground. In a minute he clambered back upon his stone,
and I watched him closely. The next time the call came to fly he did
not linger, but went with the rest, and so long as I could watch him he
never disobeyed again."

This is evidence not only of parental teaching, but also of parental
discipline. Here is another bit from the same volume, bearing its
lesson on its face. "A lady told me a funny story about a robin. He
was brought up in the house from the nest, and never learned to sing
the robin song, for he had not heard it. He plainly tried to make some
sort of music, and one of the family taught him to whistle 'Yankee
Doodle'. He whistled it perfectly, and never tried to sing anything
else. Once this Yankee Doodle robin got out of the house and flew up
into a tree. When the wild birds came about him he entertained them by
whistling his favorite air, which sent the birds off in a panic."

Do not the facts recited in this sketch prove that birds know and
acquire some things through the promptings of instinct, while other
things they can learn only by avian teaching?

My notes on instinct and education in bird song correspond with the
conviction expressed by Dr. W. H. Hudson on page 257 of his interesting
book entitled "The Naturalist in La