JACKDAWS. 223 



heads, with the ear towards the ground, listening atten- 

 tively in the most significant manner. Sometimes they 

 appeared to listen in vain, and then walked on, till at 

 length, instead of moving from the spot, they fell to pick- 

 ing a hole, as fast as their heads could nod, just like the 

 Thrushes before mentioned ; and in the end, almost 

 always succeeded in extracting a few large grubs, with 

 which, as soon as the fortunate finder had secured one, 

 he hopped off to enjoy his delicate morsel, followed and 

 jostled by the rest, who had been less successful in their 

 search ; adding another proof of the utility of birds in 

 ridding us from injurious insects, and all in favour of 

 the Rook family. An accident which befell one of these 

 birds, afforded an interesting instance of the efforts of 

 nature to repair injury and mutilation. It was standing 

 on a window-sill, and had the greater part of its beak 

 crushed off, by the sudden shutting of the window. The 

 person who fed them nursed it with the greatest care, 

 and kept it alive ; when the wound began to heal, it was 

 turned out amongst its companions, by whom it was as 

 regularly fed, as if they had been made to understand 

 that it could not feed itself ; but what was still more 

 extraordinary, soon afterwards, nights of wild ones, which 

 usually remained in their lonely haunts upon a neigh- 

 bouring rocky mountain, came down to the garden, and 

 were constantly hovering over their disabled and muti- 

 lated companion, as if to marvel at its strange appearance. 

 As the wound healed, the upper part of the bill, two- 

 thirds of which, at least, had been severed, began to 

 grow, and in a few months had made considerable pro- 

 gress, with every prospect of its finally assuming its 

 original formation. In every part of the world, the 

 character of the Jackdaw tribe seems to be the same. 



Thus, in the island of Ceylon in India, these birds are 

 extremely impudent and troublesome ; and it is found 

 very difficult to exclude them from the houses, which, 

 on account of the heat, are built open, and much exposed 

 to intruders. In the town of Colombo, where they are 



