210 THE THRUSH. 



principle, universally diffused throughout creation ; 

 but when we see a sick or maimed animal supplied 

 and attended by another, which we suppose gifted 

 with none of the stimuli to exertion that actuate 

 our conduct, we endow them by this denial with 

 motives with which we ourselves are unacquainted ; 

 and at last we can only relate the fact, without 

 defining the cause. 



The throstle is a bird of great utility in a garden 

 where wall-fruit is grown, by reason of the peculiar 

 inclination which it has for feeding upon snails, and 

 very many of them he does dislodge in the course 

 of the day. When the female is sitting, the male 

 bird seems to be particularly assiduous in searching 

 them out, and I believe he feeds his mate during 

 that period, having frequently seen him flying to 

 the nest with food, long before the eggs were 

 hatched : after this time the united labours of the 

 pair destroy numbers of these injurious creatures. 

 That he will regale himself frequently with a 

 tempting gooseberry or bunch of currants, is well 

 known, but his services entitle him to a very ample 

 reward. The blackbird associates with these thrushes 

 in our gardens, but makes no compensation for our 

 indulgences after his song ceases, as he does not 

 feed upon the snail ; but the thrush benefits us 

 through the year by his propensities for this par- 

 ticular food, and every grove resounds with his 

 harmony in the season ; and probably if this race 

 suffered less from the gun of the Christmas popper, 



