OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS. 329 



the most incongruous animals can avail themselves of each 

 other ! Interest makes strange friendships. WHITE. 



Birds continually avail themselves of particular and un- 

 usual circumstances to procure their food; thus wagtails 

 keep playing about the noses and legs of cattle as they feed, 

 in quest of flies and other insects which abound near those 

 animals ; and great numbers of them will follow close to the 

 plough to devour the worms, &c., that are turned up by that 

 instrument. The red-breast attends the gardener in digging 

 his borders ; and will, with great familiarity and tameness, 

 pick out the worms almost close to his spade, as I have 

 frequently seen.* Starlings and magpies very often sit on 

 the backs of sheep and deer to pick out their ticks. 



MABKWICK. 



WRYNECKS. These birds appear on the grass-plots and 

 walks ; they walk a little as well as hop, and thrust their 

 bills into the turf, in quest, I conclude, of ants, which are 

 their food. While they hold their bills in the grass, they 

 draw our their prey with their tongues, which are so long as 

 to be coiled round their heads. WHITE. 



GROSBEAK. Mr. B. shot a cock grosbeak, which he had 

 observed to haunt his garden for more than a fortnight. I 

 began to accuse this bird of making sad havoc among the 

 buds of the cherries, gooseberries, and wall-fruit of all the 

 neighbouring orchards. Upon opening its crop, or craw, 

 no buds were to be seen ; but a mass of kernels of the stones 

 of fruits. Mr. B. observed, that this bird frequented the 

 spot where plum-trees grow ; and that he had seen it with 

 somewhat hard in its mouth, which it broke with difficulty ; 

 these were the stones of damsons. The Latin ornithologists 

 call this bird coccothraustes, i. e. berry-breaker, because with 

 its large horny beak it cracks and breaks the shells of stone 

 fruits for the sake of the seed or kernel. Birds of this 

 sort are rarely seen in England, and only in winter. 



WHITE. 



* Rooks may be seen following close upon a plough at work, to feed upon 

 any grubs or worms which may be turned up. ED. 



