4 1 2 Habits of the Stormcock, 



instantly came up, and rescued his mate, by fighting the mag- 

 pie until he made it let go its hold. " Causa viae conjux." It 

 was to save his female that he advanced so undauntedly into 

 the midst of his mortal enemies : nothing else could have 

 induced him to face the danger. I fancy that I hear him 

 say,— 



" Si fata negant veniam pro conjuge, certum est, 



Nolle redire mihi : letho gaudete duorum." 



If you won't give my poor dear up to me, here I stay : you 

 may kill us both. This loving couple retired triumphant to 

 their nest: but the female lost half of her tail in the frav. 



The stormcock surpasses all other thrushes in size, and is 

 decidedly the largest songster of the European birds. He re- 

 mains with us the whole of the year ; and he is one of three 

 birds which charm us with their melody during the dreary 

 months of winter, when the throstle and the lark are silent, 

 and all the migratory birds have left us to sojourn in warmer 

 climates. On this account I prize him doubly. He appears 

 to be gregarious in the months of August and September. I 

 have occasionally counted from forty to fifty of these birds in 

 a flock ; and I suspect that they are sometimes mistaken for 

 an early arrival of fieldfares by those who pay attention to the 

 migration of birds. 



The stormcock is remarkably fond of the berries of the 

 mountain ash. He who loves to see this pretty songster near 

 his dwelling, would do well to plant a number of mountain 

 ashes in the midst of his pleasure-grounds : they are of 

 quick growth, and they soon produce an abundance of 

 berries. 



Whilst the fruit of these trees affords a delicious autumnal 

 repast to the stormcock, the branches which bear the berries 

 are well known to be an effectual preservative against the 

 devilish spells of witchcraft. In the village of Walton I have 

 two small tenants ; the name of one is James Simpson, that 

 of the other Sally Holloway ; and Sally's house stands a little 

 before the house of Simpson. Some three months ago, I 

 overtook Simpson on the turnpike road, and I asked him if 

 his cow were getting better, for his son had told me she had 

 fallen sick. " She 's coming on surprisingly, Sir, quoth he. 

 The last time that the cow-doctor came to see her, * Jem,' said 

 he to me, looking earnestly at old Sally's house, ' Jem,' said 

 he, 6 mind and keep your cow-house door shut before the sun 

 goes down, otherwise I won't answer what may happen to the 

 cow !' i Ay, ay, my lad,' said I, ' I understand your meaning : 

 but I am up to the old slut, and I defy her to do me any harm 

 now.' " " And what has old Sally been doing to you, James ?" 



