SCIENCE AND TOPICS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 11044, 18 February 1933, Page 3

SCIENCE AND TOPICS

Exploits of Birds, Beasts,

and Fish

WITHOUT MAPS AND SIGNPOSTS THEY FIND THEIR WAY.

Scientists and naturalists are not easily baffled by a natural phenomenon. Usually they succeed in finding logical explanations by which to reveal the mysteries of Nature. Recently, however, investigators have freely admitted that they cannot account for the remarkable “direc-tion-finding” instinct which is a characteristic of moat members of the animal kingdom. This instinct can only be described as a “sixth sense.” If Iniman beings possessed an additional sense of this kind there would be no need for maps signposts and other direction indicators. They would proceed from one place to another irrespective of distance, in much the same way as a migratory bird travels instinctively across the world. Without artificial aids in the way of maps, calendars, and so on, birds know when and where to go as the seasons change. According to an old theory, adult birds acted as pilots to the younger members of their flocks. But this has been definitely disproved. Young birds frequently migrate in advance of the main flock. They seem to inherit the mysterious sixth sense which enables them to find their way without advice or guidance.

The reasons why birds migrate have been studied by naturalists for a great many years. It seems that hereditary characteristics are responsible for the migratory habits of some species while others are naturally adapted for permanent residence in the same locality. Certain speicies '(require suitable conditions of climate for breeding. They grey plover, for example, breeds in the Arctic circle and spends the winter months in equatorial countries. Another form of migration for breeding purposes has been observed in the common toad which leaves its terrestrial surroundings every spring to spawn in a distant pool of water. Similarly, the eel spends its youth a,s an elver in river water. Later it returns to the sea to breed and finally to die. The fundamental impulse for migration was probably the need for food among the earliest members of the animal kingdom, and in certain species the impulse developed into an hereditary trait. Herds of wild beasts, of course, have always migrated from one district to another in search of food, but the habit of travelling annually to a . different climate has fixed only among birds and fishes, probably because of their natural ability to travel easily and quickly. From the results of observations by scientists it is apparent that the “sixth-sense” is not simply a sense of direction, but also an instinct of self-preservation. After a flock of birds have found their way over thousands of miles of land and ocean to the required climate, they do not remain together in the same district. The birds scatter over a wide area, each bird or family of birds being intent upon finding the most comfortable localities.

The instinct for self-preservation is closely linked with a remarkable sense of direction in horses and dogs. It is by no means an uncommon occurrence for a horse to take fright and throw its rider; and then to make its way home to safety over many milies of unfamiliar country. Observe a van horse in foggy weather. He, can proceed safely through the densest fog while his driver has temporarily lost ail sense of direction, It cannot be suggested that the horse can see through a fog, but he bias such a highly developed “sixth sense” that he can keep on a straight course until he reaches the security of his stable. It is not the quality of courage which enables a horse to carry on in foggy weather, for on those rare occasions when he does become lost k horse will make no effort to find, his way. He will just stop and whimper nervously. Everyone knows the miraculous direction-finding instinct of dogs. The household pet the sheep dog, the canine guardian of a farmhouse, all possess this instinct to a similar degree. Shepherds tell with pride of the exploits of their dogs in finding their way home through miles of mountainous country. But is is no less remarkable when the family foxterrier is lost in the heart of a great city, and eventually trots home through a maize of busy streets. In many instances there has been evidence of an uncanny bond of friendship between man and dog. When a man is reluctantly compelled to part from his doggy pal it is uncertain whether the man is as emotionally distressed as the dog. The dog invariably pines after his master, and often makes great efforts to return to his , old home.

There are numerous stories on record, of dogs suffering great Jiardships in their endeavours to find their own masters. In one case, a man left his dog in New York and travelled across the continent to the Pacific coasi. ' It may sound incredible, but the dog actually ran away from his new home, made his way through the States, and eventually, in a starving and broken-down condtion, reached the town where his master was living. The dog could have followed no scent and no trail of any kind. It was simply because of that mysterious ability, which our learned scientists can only describe as a "sixth sense," that the dog was able to achieve this extraordinary journey.