126 A BACHELOR'S GLEANINGS. 



when vultures are oppressed by want, they reciprocally devour each 

 other's young ones, and even their own : but I had never an opportu- 

 nity of ascertaining- the truth of this fact, and will not, therefore, be 

 responsible for its correctness. The land turtles and land shells, at the 

 Cape, which these birds swallow entire, are to them a very delicate 

 prey : they also fling themselves upon those clouds of grasshoppers, 

 which I have described in my travels. 



A BACHELOR'S GLEANINGS. 



YOUR bachelor correspondent (S.) has been wandering lately, and 

 hopes a few gleanings may not be unacceptable. 



I have been on the borders of the New Forest, Hampshire, and had 

 an opportunity of witnessing the following extraordinary fact. The 

 fallow deer there are remarkably fond of the common holly, but will 

 only feed upon it when cut and thrown before them by their keepers, 

 and then they strip off the bark and eat the leaves greedily ; if not cut, 

 they will never think of touching it. 



Staying a few days at a friend's house, I was not more surprised than 

 delighted with the following instance of the tame and domestic habits of 

 the robin. Though my friend is father of a large family, the pet (for 

 so the welcome little bird has been christened) invariably comes to the 

 window at breakfast-time, taps violently with his beak at the window, 

 hops in without the least alarm, feeds, and really saunters about for 

 nearly an hour, then flies to the window, where he knocks violently 

 again for liberty. Although the children are playing about, he hardly 

 thinks it necessary to get out of reach of their romps. His visit is again 

 repeated before night ; he knocks for admission^ and as the window opens 

 walks in as a matter of course. 



Last year I had a bed of tulips of rare and beautiful sorts, which I 

 thought I would protect from chance of frost, by covering them with 

 tan. They all flowered perfectly black. 



This may not be uninteresting to some of your readers who study 

 garden chemistry. 



Shrewsbury, 4/A February, 1834. 



[Did S. remark whether the holly leaves cut by the keepers were with or with- 

 out prickles ? The lower branches of holly have their leaves always prickly, while 

 the top leaves are smooth ; a circumstance which led Dr. Darwin to fancy the 

 hollies in Needwood Forest knowingly put out these prickles to defend themselves 

 from the deer ! ! ! The fact about the black tulips is exceedingly interesting. ED.] 



