FOLLOWING John von Radowitz's article (Echo, Aug 24) about animals using tools to enhance their ability to gather food, Dr Alex Kaceinik, Professor of Behavioural Ecology at Oxford University, points out: "Purposeful modification of objects to solve new problems, without training or prior experience, is virtually unknown."

But not entirely. South American Hyacinthine macaws are known to shape willow pieces to use with their beaks for cracking palm nuts.

Other types of Macaw are unable to copy them.

In the article, Dr Russell Gray, commenting on the skills of New Caledonian crows, said: "It was surprising to find that these birdbrained' creatures performed at the same level as the best performances by great apes."

Why so surprising? Because of the deeply rooted belief in an evolutionary development for tool use, illustrated at the start of the article. On this belief, birds are lower down the evolutionary scale than apes and definitely humans.

Commenting on the behaviour of Betty the New Caledonian crow, Dr Kaceinik said: "It is not on1y cleverer than we think in this particular direction but probably, at least in relation to tools, has a higher level of understanding than chimpanzees." On evolutionary logic we must be more closely related to crows than apes.

No, these examp1es show us nothing about our supposed evolutionary development but rather prove that some animals are cleverer than scientists think, and illustrate the great variety of God's creation.

Rev Ken Evans, Darlington.