HOW TO, KEEP A BABY QUIET.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 440, 24 February 1909, Page 3

HOW TO, KEEP A BABY QUIET.

;a lesson from the birds! ft'. The-scientist who goes in thoroughly'for ' : ' the: study- of'animal life, has to- endure some ■. strange''experiences,. as witness the famous ~.,Y:.ft ; man . who said, "Of. course you must be .willing tci investigate'your subject thorough- - ly,- and if you tind'- that. a; cortiiin caterpillar i is.never ! eaten by you must ft iasto it to find, out whether it is bitter, ■or what js tho ; quality- to which ..tho birds ..object."/■ It., is. ..another, scientist who coilfesse>s -to > E&ving' taken. ; caterpillars • to • bed N with; Him, , and iii ;telling his' story he gives jnany ..a'tire'd a useful hint-_ Lecturing • at • tho. Ijondon Institution on ft . the habits of .British birds, Mr.-Duncan told ft-fthow; fill- piio occasion he was watching a :.--ft-ft willow; wren with her young. Twenty -times * . .. tho .'mother bird brought worms and caterft pillars .to tho- young ones. Sho was very, ft-ftfttireflpbut-still.her,-offspring clamoured .for mora.:-. 'J'h'en sho resorted to a clevfir device,". for .which ,tho'lecturer. was : afterwards ' t'.iopkful. v When the- young one opened its . mouth tho mother wren put her beak inside ;ft ftft arid- tickled tho', back- of '■ its' throat. -. : The young one. gave a gulp, thought it had swal- .. lowisd a largo.worm, and the mother:got five : -ft .i'ft ■ . . Later- Mr. Duncan applied that lesson to his .own ' advantage. A . hungry young cuckoo, .which bad fallen from its nest,' was '-i ; ■ brought to him from tho New, Forest. To keep tho bird quiet ho had to take a supply ft of caterpillars to bed-with him at night, because if .• the cuckoo got hungry at ' two ft:: o'clock and be had an • insufficient supply oi .ft;ft: food, or. some of tho caterpillars had. cs- . . caped, there was no sleep afterwards.. Accordingly, ho. took- to'; hed not only some -caterpillars, hut. a straw,, and when tho cuckoo, put. up its head and squawked lustily : fort food - just- as.-the : supply .was running" Ift-f -\- shortj 'he;tickled; thei.hack' of:fts throat with the. straw.. In that , way he got an extra half-hour's sleep.