Ways of Nature

by John Burroughs

INDEX

Adder, blowing, [17].
Altruism among animals, [23].
Ammophila, [117].
Angler (Lophius piscatorius), [107].
Animals,
the author's attitude in regard to the intelligence of, [v], [vi];
nature of the intelligence of, [1-3];
sources of the intelligence of, [4];
the sentimental attitude towards, [59-61];
emotions and intellect of, [64];
language of, [64];
curiosity of, [64];
altruism of, [65];
punishment and discipline among, [65];
the three factors that shape their lives, [66];
imitation among, [66-70];
learning by experience, [70-73];
variation in, [73];
instinct in, [73-83];
incapable of reflection, [77], [78];
their knowledge compared with man's, [80], [81];
imitation among, not akin to teaching, [83-86];
belief in regard to teaching among, [87];
play of, [87], [99], [100];
communication among, [87-98];
fear in, [89], [90];
ears of, [95];
telepathy among, [96-98];
their habits the same everywhere, [101-103];
courtship among, [104];
stories of poisoning among, [105], [106];
stories of trapping and fishing among, [106], [107];
individuality among, [118], [119];
variation in, [120], [121];
ignorance of, [123-125];
perceptive intelligence of, [126];
partakers of the universal intelligence, [128-130];
know what is necessary for them to know, [131];
their knowledge inherited, [132];
wise in relation to their food and their enemies, [133];
and the art of healing, [134];
protective coloration of, [138-140];
their fear of poison, [140];
association of ideas in, [141], [142];
emotions of, [143];
no ethical sense in, [144], [145];
automatism of, [146];
and the use of medicine, [147];
the truth about them what is wanted, [147-149];
the thinking of, instinct in, [151-170];
have perceptions but no conceptions, [160];
first steps of intelligence in, [161], [162];
limitations of intelligence in, [163-168];
automatism of trained animals, [166];
incredible stories of, [175-184];
stories of surgery among, [180-182];
true interpretation of seeming acts of reason in, [184-187], [189], [190];
absence of language among, [187-189];
creatures of routine, [190];
the humanization of, [195], [196];
nature of their intelligence, [209-230];
their minds incapable of improvement, [220-222];
the victims of habits, [222];
popular notion of teaching among, [233], [234];
nature of the homing faculty of, [235];
Bostock on the training of wild, [239-242];
mimicry among, [248-250];
instinct in, [255-261].
Antelope, [85].
Apple trees, protecting themselves from cattle, [153].
Argyll, Duke of, [72].
"Atlantic Monthly, The," article in, [v], [vi], [173].
Baboon, [65].
Barrington, Daines, [68].
Barrus, Dr. Clara, her description of the woodcock's song and song flight, [43].
Bean, the, intelligence of, [1], [2].
Bear, a caged, [76].
Bear, black, [260].
Beaver, [166], [167];
nature of his intelligence, [209-211].
Beebe, C. William, on instinct and reason in birds, [215-217].
Bees, [24].
Belief, scientific grounds for, [173-179].
Birds,
mistakes of, [4-6];
their nest-building, [4], [5], [70], [71];
fighting their reflections, [5], [6];
taking advantage of man's protection for their nests, [6], [7];
probably make no improvement in nest-building or singing, [70], [71];
learn cunning by experience, [71];
instincts connected with parasitism, [79], [80];
communication in flocks of, [96-98];
courtship of, [103], [104];
activities of the two sexes among, [111-114];
song contests among, [114], [115];
and glass, [127];
incubating-habits of, [135];
shading mate and young from sun, [137], [138];
their knowledge of the value of protective coloration, [138-140];
migration of, [186];
their affection for their young, [215];
and shell-fish, [216];
have no power of initiative, [232], [233];
their handling of strings, [246-248];
instinct in, [256-261];
variability in, [258-261].
Bird's-nests,
an epitome of wild nature, [109];
haphazard design in, [109], [110].
Bird-songs,
the power to hear, [29];
not music, [29];
elusiveness of, [30];
a part of nature, [30];
our pleasure in them from association, [31-34];
songs of caged birds, [32], [35];
the wing-song, [39-44];
individual variation in musical ability, [44-46];
acquired by imitation, [67], [68].
Bittern, least (Ardetta exilis), eating her eggs, [111].
[Blackbird, crow], or grackle (Quiscalus quiscula subsp.),
catching a fish, [176];
enmity with robins, [263], [264].
Blackbird, English, song of, [45], [227].
Blackbird, red-winged. See [Red-shouldered starling].
Black-knot, [27].
Bluebird (Sialia sialis), hearing the, [29].
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus),
its song in the home meadows, [36];
variation in song, [69];
with defective song, [116].
Body, the, intelligence of, [128].
Bolles, Frank, [18].
Bostock, Frank C., his The Training of Wild Animals, [239-242].
Brewster, William, [22].
Buds, formation of, [50], [51].
Bumblebee, hibernation of, [49].
Burmeister, quoted on bees, [200].
Calf,
a wild, [214];
a yearling and its muzzle, [237].
Canary-bird, [159];
an incredible story of a, [177], [178].
Carlisle, Bishop of, [148].
Cats, [66], [67], [73];
fear of dogs, [75];
talking with the ears, [94], [95];
playing with mice, [100];
watching a mouse-hole, [186], [187];
human qualities of, [225], [226].
Cat tribe, their method of hunting, [183], [184].
[Cedar-bird] (Ampelis cedrorum),
notes of, [46];
nest-building of, [112];
and strings, [247], [248];
no song impulse in, [257].
Chapman, Frank M., his story of a least bittern, [111].
[Chewink], or towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), the "Hermit's" story, [93].
Chickadee (Parus atricapillus),
flight of a young, [70];
tameness of, [205].
Chipmunk, [159].
Coon. See [Raccoon].
Cow, the, ignorance of, [123], [124], [187], [221].
Cowbird (Molothrus ater), [79], [80], [156], [157];
an incredible statement regarding, [178], [179], [220].
[Coyote], or prairie wolf, [82], [86], [189].
Crab, hermit, [155].
Crabs, defensive instinct in, [169], [170].
Crossbills (Loxia sp.), feeding on young peaches, [261].
Crow, American (Corvus brachyrhynchos),
winter quarters of, [50];
the "Hermit's" story of a crow, [93];
nature of his intelligence, [136], [137];
notes of, [188], [268];
story of a court of justice, [198], [199];
maltreating a tame crow, [199];
cunning of, [204];
a misinterpreted incident, [233], [234];
feeding, [265], [266];
suspiciousness of, [266];
flocking of, [266], [267];
meaning of calls of, [268];
disposition of, [268];
in Bermuda, [268];
lines on, [268].
Crow, white-necked African, [135], [136].
Crows and shell-fish, [2].
Cuckoos, [249];
eating birds' eggs, [264];
killed by robins, [264].
Darwin, Charles, [65], [67], [73], [75], [76], [79], [82], [83], [87], [127], [136], [149], [177], [198].
December, the month when Nature closes her doors, [47].
Deer, [84], [85], [185].
Dipper. See [Water ouzel].
Dogs,
imitativeness of, [66];
show gleams of reason, [76], [85], [88];
feelings of shame, guilt, and revenge ascribed to, [144], [145];
carrying a stick through a fence, [164-166];
language of, [188];
Maeterlinck on, [192], [193];
John Muir's story of a dog, [193], [194];
Egerton Young's book about, [194];
hiding a bone, [205];
companionableness of, [205], [206], [211], [221];
rational intelligence in, [223-225];
partake of the master's nature, [224];
story of a pointer, [224], [225].
Dove, turtle, or mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura), occupying a robin's nest, [7].
Duck. See [Mallard].
Duck, eider. See [American eider].
Duck, wild, wounded, [213].
Duck, wood (Aix sponsa), nest, eggs, and young of, [21-23].
Eagle, [103].
Eagle, bald (Haliæetus leucocephalus), [72], [213].
Ears, movements of, [95].
[Eider, American] (Somateria dresseri), killing mussels, [180-182].
Elephants, [76];
protecting themselves from flies, [138];
an incredible story, [145], [146].
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, [24];
his lines on the sparrow's song, [32], [102].
Evolution, [170], [171].
Fabre, the French naturalist, [158].
Farm, the author's, [101].
Fear,
instinctive, [74-76];
use of, [89];
indiscriminating, [89];
panics, [90].
Finch, purple (Carpodacus purpureus),
song flight of, [44];
song of, [44].
Fish and glass, [127].
Flocks, communication in, [96-98].
Fly, mimicking the honey-bee, [250].
Flycatcher, great crested (Myiarchus crinitus), nesting-habits of, [17-19].
Forest and Stream, [69], [93].
Fox,
capturing a rabbit, [8], [72];
poisoning stories of, [105];
stories of crab-catching, [106], [107];
intelligence of, [141], [142];
misinterpreted stories of, [199];
and deadfall, [222], [223];
cunning of, [223].
Frog, wood, hibernation of, [48].
Frogs, hibernation of, [49].
Froude, [2].
Fruits, colors of, [251-254].
Golden-eye (Clangula clangula americana), young leaving nest, [22].
Goldfinch (Astragalinus tristis),
flight song of, [43], [44];
other notes of, [44];
musical festivals of, [104].
Gophers, an interesting incident, [237], [238].
Grackle. See [Crow blackbird].
Grebe, and loon, [235], [236].
Gregariousness, its effect on individuality, [118], [119].
Groos, Karl, his work on The Play of Animals, [87], [100].
Grouse, flight of, [4].
Grouse, ruffed (Bonasa umbelius), [71], [94];
drumming of, [177], [257];
the "Hermit's" incredible story of a, [179], [180];
feeble vocal powers of, [257].
Grouse, spruce, or Canada grouse (Canachites canadensis canace), [260].
Hamerton, Philip Gilbert, his Chapters on Animals, [124], [237].
Hawk, broad-winged (Buteo platypterus), [74].
[Hawk, fish], or American osprey (Pandion haliaëtus carolinensis), [213].
Hawk, marsh (Circus hudsonius), a young, [99].
Hawk, red-shouldered (Buteo lineatus), [222], [223].
Hawk, red-tailed (Buteo borealis and subsp.), [102].
Hawks, alleged mimicry among, [248], [249].
"Hermit,"
his false natural history, [93-95];
his stories of cowbirds and a grouse, [178], [179].
Hibernation, [48], [49].
Hickory nut, [251], [252].
Home Life on an Ostrich Farm, [135], [136].
Homing instinct, the,
a remarkable trait, [53];
an instance of its workings, [53-57], [99];
nature of, [235].
Honeysuckle, a shoot of, [24], [25].
Horses,
ignorant fear in, [123];
self-destruction of, [146], [162];
a mare and her blind companion, [226], [227].
Hyla, peeping,
hibernation of, [48];
a second period of peeping, [231], [232].
Indigo-bird (Cyanospiza cyanea), flight song of, [44].
Individuality, effects of solitude and gregariousness upon, [118], [119].
Industries of Animals, [137].
Inferences, right, [231-238].
Insects stilled by the cold, [49], [50].
Instinct, [1];
demoralized, [73], [74];
one instinct overcoming another, [74];
makes up nine tenths of the lives of our wild neighbors, [74];
a kind of natural reason, [76];
in connection with parasitism, [79], [80];
importance of, [81];
origin and development of, [81], [82];
not always inerrant, [155];
machine-like action of, [158], [159];
non-progressive, [212];
nature of, [254-257];
variability of, [257-261].
Jackals, [142].
Jackdaw, the Bishop of Carlisle's story of a, [148].
Jay, blue (Cyanocitta cristata),
Mr. Keyser's young bird, [69], [70];
hiding instinct of, [161], [251], [263].
Jay, Canada (Perisoreus canadensis), [204], [260].
Jefferies, Richard, [131], [197], [203].
Jesse, Edward, his story of some swallows, [148].
Katydids, [49].
Kea, [260], [261].
Kearton, Richard,
his story of an osprey, [137];
on the wren's nest, [138], [139];
on a colony of terns, [139];
his experiments with wooden eggs, [227], [228];
on instinct in animals, [257].

Keyser, Leander S., his experiments with young birds, [69], [70].
Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), [177].
Kipling, Rudyard,
his Jungle Book, [14];
his The White Seal, [14].
Kittens, [75].
Language, a necessity to thinking, [187], [188].
Lark. See [Skylark].
Lark, prairie horned (Otocoris alpestris praticola),
spreading of, [36], [37];
song and song flight of, [37], [38];
killed by the locomotive, [38].
Leaves, persistent and deciduous, [51].
Lion, Bostock on the training of, [239-241].
Loco-weed, [83].
Locusts, [2].
Loon (Gavia imber), [180], [184];
under ice, [235], [236].
Lophius piscatorius, [107].
Lubbock, Sir John, on recognition among bees and ants, [200].
Lynx, Canada, incredible story of, [183], [184].
Maeterlinck, Maurice,
on the bee, [15];
on the dog, [192], [193];
his Life of the Bee, [201].
[Mallard], domestic, finding its way home, [53-57].
Man,
progress of, [26], [27];
the line that divides him from the lower orders, [80], [81];
animal origin of, [229], [230];
instinct in, [255];
learning through practice, [256].
Martin, Mrs. Annie, her story of a crow, [135], [136].
Meadowlark (Sturnella magna),
song of, [34];
flight song of, [43], [232], [233].
Meadowlark, Western (Sturnella magna neglecta), song of, [103].
Mice and traps, [23], [24].
Michelet, [147].
Mimicry, [248-250].
Mongoose, [72].
Monkeys, capable of the simpler forms of reason, [127].
Moose, a habit of, [142].
Moral code, evolution of, [23].
Morgan, C. Lloyd, [143], [149];
his experiment with his dog, [164], [165].
Moth, hummingbird, [249], [250].
Mouse, white-footed, or deer mouse, an incident, [163], [164].
Muir, John, his story of his dog Stickeen, [193], [194].
Mullet, [96].
Mushrooms, animals eating, [83].
Muskrat, [211].
Mussels, ducks drowning, [180-182].
My Dogs of the Northland, by Egerton Young, [194].
"My friend and neighbor through the year," [268].
Natural history romancers,
influence of, [13], [14];
methods of, [16], [17].
Nature,
an endless experimenter, [24], [139];
prodigality of, [27];
like a hunter, [27];
bound to hit the mark, [28];
the tendency to sentimentalize, [108];
reaches her ends by devious paths, [110];
the thinking of, [152];
literary treatment of, [191-208];
the interpretation of, [196-201], [203-205];
wisdom of, [220].
Newts, migrations of, [219].
Nightingale,
carrying nest, [15], [16];
song of, [35];
song of a caged bird, [35];
a song contest, [115].
North American Review, an article in the, [61].
Nuthatch, [162].
Nuts, protective colors of, [251], [252].
Observing, rarity of accurate, [107], [108], [238].
Olaus, his fox and crab story, [106].
Oriole, Baltimore (Icterus galbula),
a published account of a nest, [61-63];
Scott's experiment with young, [68];
its nest a marvel of blind skill, [110];
its use of strings in nest-building, [247];
an incredible story of, [248];
variability of, [259], [260];
song of, [259], [260];
destructive in vineyards, [261].
Oriole, orchard (Icterus spurius), [260].
Osprey, [137]. See also [Fish hawk].
Ostrich, [134], [135].
[Ousel, water], or dipper, [73].
Oven-bird (Seiurus aurocapillus),
walk of, [40];
ordinary song of, [40], [41];
flight song of, [41], [42].
Peacock, strutting before a crow, [217].
Peckham, George W. and Elizabeth G., their work on the solitary wasps, [116].
Pelicans, driving fish, [216].
Phœbe-bird (Sayornis phœbe),
nesting-habits of, [5], [157], [158];
nest-building of, [112];
cowbird's egg in nest of, [157];
an instance of stupidity, [168], [169].
Pigeon, passenger, or wild pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), flocks of, [96], [97].
Pike, [127].
Plants, intelligence of, [128], [129].
Plover, ring, rejecting counterfeit eggs, [227], [228].
Poison, fear of, [140].
Poisoning among animals, [105], [106].
Porcupine,
its lack of wit, [3], [186];
an encounter with a, [242-244];
easily killed, [244];
stories of rolling into a ball, [244], [245];
C. G. D. Roberts on, [245], [246].
Prairie-dogs, their fear of weeds and grass, [189].
Protective coloration, [139], [140].
Quail, or bob-white (Colinus virginianus), nests of, [6].
Rabbit,
nest of, [7];
intelligence of, [7];
pursued by a mink or weasel, [7], [8];
pursued by a fox, [8];
imitating a monkey, [66].
Rabbit,
jack, [184];
running in a furrow, [213].
[Raccoon], washing food, [3], [134].
Rats, [72], [73], [106], [184], [185].
"Real and Sham Natural History," the author's article, [v], [vi].
Reason, an artificial light, [212].
Roberts, Charles G. D., on the porcupine, [245], [246].
Robin (Merula migratoria),
nests of, [4], [5], [169], [264], [265];
unusual songs of, [45], [68], [154], [155];
nesting on turn-table, [169];
and string, [246], [247];
variability of nesting-habits of, [258], [259];
closely associated with country life, [261], [262];
boring for grubs, [262], [263];
pugnacity of, [263];
at war with blue jays, crow blackbirds, and cuckoos, [263], [264];
a hustler, [264], [265].
Romanes, G. J., [15], [16], [73], [106], [142];
untrustworthiness of his Animal Intelligence, [147], [148].
Roosevelt, Theodore,
his The Wilderness Hunter, [72], [142];
quoted on teaching among animals, [84-86], [88], [103];
quoted on the moose, [142], [149];
his story of a horse, [235].
Rooster,
"teaching" a young one, [94];
calling a hen, [190].
Ruskin, John, [197].
St. John, Charles, [76];
his story of a fox, [142], [149].
Sapsucker, yellow-bellied. See [Yellow-bellied woodpecker].
Scallops, [129], [130].
Schoolchildren, letters from, [1].
"School of the woods," the, [99].
Scott, W. E. D., [68].
Selous, Edmund, on a song contest between nightingales, [115].
Seton, Ernest Thompson, [184], [203].
Sexual selection, [116].
Sharp, Dallas Lore, on the crested flycatcher, [18].
Shrike (Lanius sp.), assisting wounded mate, [24], [250].
Skunk,
dull wits of, [4];
killing a maimed one, [203].
Skunk-cabbage, [52].
[Skylark],
song of, [32-34], [37];
in America, [33], [34];
Scotchman and, [33];
Irishman and, [34];
wooing a vesper sparrow, [40];
a caged, [69].
Snake, black, [16].
Snakes, and the power of fascination, [16].
Solitude, its effect on individuality, [118], [119].
Sparrow, bush, or field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), nest of, [259].
Sparrow, chipping (Spizella socialis),
nest of, [142], [143], [259], [154];
an unusual song of, [259].
Sparrow, English (Passer domesticus),
singing like a canary, [68], [257];
eggs of, [120];
a case of blind instinct in, [160].
Sparrow, song (Melospiza cinerea melodia),
a city girl's impression of its song, [31];
a talented singer, [45];
the "Hermit's" story, [93], [94];
variability of, [259].
Sparrow, vesper (Poœcetes gramineus),
flight song of, [39];
lark-like in color and markings, [40];
wooed by a skylark, [40];
low degree of variability in, [259].
Spring, the real beginning of, [51], [52].
Squirrel, gray, [75], [133].
Squirrel, red,
nesting-material of, [20];
a stupid, [125];
and chestnuts, [132];
and maple sap, [132];
and green apples and pears, [133], [155], [251].
Squirrels,
and chestnut burs, [3];
their knowledge of nuts, [133];
smelling with the whole body, [133].
[Starling], red-shouldered, or red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phœniceus), song of, [34].
Stevenson, Robert Louis, on the English blackbird's songs, [45].
Sumac, fruit of, [254].
Swallow, cliff (Petrochelidon lunifrons), nesting of, [155], [157].
Swallows, [93].
Swift, chimney (Chætura pelagica),
change of nesting-site, [8];
getting nesting-material, [8], [9];
in the chimney, [9];
a creature of the air, [9], [10];
spring and fall congregations in large chimneys, [10-13];
drumming in chimney, [183].
Swimming, [78], [79].
Sycamore, fruit of, [251].
Tanager, scarlet (Piranga erythromelas), nesting in a cherry tree, [6], [7].
Teaching among animals, [83-94], [233], [234].
Telepathy, [96-98].
Terns, [139].
Thoreau, Henry D., his "night-warbler," [42], [153], [195], [203].
Thrush, hermit (Hylocichla guttata pallasii), with an impediment, [116].
Thrush,
song, in the Trossachs, [46];
and wooden eggs, [227].
Thrush, Wilson's. See [Veery].
Thrush, wood (Hylocichla mustelina),
nest of, [5];
a "singing-school," [94];
nest-building of, [113], [114], [155], [156];
ways of, [113], [114];
song contest of, [114], [115].
Toad, going into the ground, [49].
Towhee. See [Chewink].
Training of Wild Animals, The, by Frank C. Bostock, [239-242].
Traps, the fear of, [89].
Tumble-bug, [26].
Turkey, [75], [214].
Van Dyke, Henry, his poem on the song sparrow, [31].
Variation, [73];
a less active principle now than formerly, [120];
various degrees of, [120], [121];
causes of, [121].
[Veery], or Wilson's thrush (Hylocichla fuscescens), song of, [84], [85].
Wallace, Alfred Russel, [87];
on mimicry, [249], [251].
Warbler, black and white creeping (Mniotilta varia), nest and egg of, [111].
Warbler, grasshopper, [227].
Warbler, yellow (Dendroioa æstiva), and cowbird's egg, [80], [156], [157], [229].
Ward, Lester F., his Pure Sociology, [112].
Wasps, solitary,
ways of, [116-118];
instinct in, [158], [159];
intelligence of, [164].
Wasps, stinging instinct in stingless, [169], [170].
Waxwing, cedar. See [Cedar-bird].
Weasel, rescuing young, [24].
White, Gilbert,
on the swallow's nest-building, [167], [168], [203];
his account of his old tortoise, [207].
Whitman, Walt, quoted, [206].
Wolf, prairie. See [Coyote].
Wolves, [66].
Wood-borers, [49], [50].
Woodchuck, [72].
Woodcock (Philohela minor), song and song flight of, [42], [43].
Woodpecker, downy (Dryobates pubescens medianus),
dispossessed by flying-squirrels, [20];
trying to evict a hairy woodpecker, [21].
Woodpecker, hairy (Dryobates villosus), and downy woodpecker, [21].
[Woodpecker, yellow-bellied], or yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), [91].
Wren, European, nest of, [138], [139].
Wren, house (Troglodytes aëdon),
nesting-materials of, [19];
young of, [162];
handling twigs, [166].
Young, Egerton, his My Dogs of the Northland, [194].

Books by John Burroughs

WORKS. 18 vols., uniform, 16mo, with frontispiece, gilt top.

Wake-Robin.
Winter Sunshine.
Locusts and Wild Honey.
Fresh Fields.
Indoor Studies.
Birds and Poets, with Other Papers.
Pepacton, and Other Sketches.
Signs and Seasons.
Riverby.
Whitman: A Study.
The Light of Day.
Literary Values.
Far and Near.
Ways of Nature.
Leaf and Tendril.
Time and Change.
The Summit of the Years.
The Breath of Life.

THE BREATH OF LIFE. Riverside Edition.

THE SUMMIT OF THE YEARS. Riverside Edition.

TIME AND CHANGE. Riverside Edition.