122 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR. 



Amongst the curious instincts which birds display in pro- 

 viding themselves with food, one most resembling reason is 

 that which teaches the common crow, on finding on the 

 shore a shell containing fish, to fly with it to a height in the 

 air, and then to let it drop in order to break the shell 

 sufficiently to get at the fish enclosed in it. When the shell 

 does not break the first time that the crow drops it, she darts 

 down, picks it up, and ascends still higher, till she perceives 

 that the height is sufficient for her purpose. Sometimes 

 another crow darts in to carry off the booty ; upon which a 

 battle ensues in the air. Cunning as the crow is, she seldom 

 finds any prize without letting all the neighbourhood know 

 of it by her cries and gestures. With perfect truth the 

 ancient poet said 



' ' Tacitus pasci, si posset corvus, haberet 

 Plus dapis, et rixaa raulto minus invidiseque." 



The crows collect great numbers of sea-shells on particular 

 favourite hillocks, which are often some distance from the 

 sea. I have frequently observed in this country great col- 

 lections of this kind, and from the state of the shells it would 

 appear that they bring them to the same place for many 

 successive years. 



In some of the woods the thrushes and blackbirds carry the 

 land-shells to certain fixed stones against which they break 

 them, in order to get at the snails. In a wood of " Brodie," 

 where the round yellow and black-striped shell (Helix 

 nemoralis) is abundant, owing, I conclude, to the rocks under 

 the surface being limestone, I watched two thrushes bring 

 several of these shells in a very short space of time ; they 

 knocked them against the stone, and if that did not do, they 

 stuck the shell in a crevice and hammered away at it until 

 they extracted "the snail, with which they then flew away, 

 probably to feed their young. Whenever I passed through 

 the wood I always visited the thrushes' stone, and found an 

 increasing heap of broken shells. Most birds, if carefully 

 watched, would be found to have recourse to various most 

 surprising expedients in order to obtain food for themselves 

 and their young. 



In this country April is the best month for the bean-geese, 

 yet many weary and often fruitless miles I have walked in 

 pursuit of them. There is something in the wildness and 

 wariness of this fine bird that makes it a peculiarly attractive 

 object of pursuit ; but wild goose shooting is 



"Omnium rerum incertissima. " 



