NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 41 



are, first, a china-like shell, and second, a deep upper shell to 

 contain the meat. The mouse in the picture must have 

 been a judge of oysters. I have also a photograph of an 

 oyster-catcher being caught by the beak by an oyster, and 

 I once had a specimen of a crab that had been caught by 

 the tip of the toe by an oyster. People at the sea-side should 

 lie very careful not to put their hands into holes to bring up 

 lobsters and crabs. I have heard of a case of a man's fingers 

 being nipped by the crab's claws and his hand jammed in a 

 crevice of the rock, until the tide rose and drowned him. 



YEWS, p. 38. The juice of Yew berries is good to eat ; the 

 seeds are dangerous. The boughs are fatal to cattle, though 

 it is not often cattle will meddle with them except from mis- 

 chief or idleness. Cattle and deer seem to prefer the boughs 

 or loppings of yew, laurel, and other evergreens, when they 

 have been cut a few days, and are much more inclined to eat 

 them in that state, than to browse on them as they grow. 

 Gardeners and foresters cannot therefore be too careful as to 

 where they throw refuse of this description. 



Haws are a very favourite food of many birdu, and a good 

 crop of these berries will bring into the neighbourhood hun- 

 dreds and hundreds of field-fares and redwings. Even black 

 game will come down from their customary haunts to feed on 

 the road-side hedges ; and an old blackcock picking haws along- 

 side the Queen's highway has not unfrequently astonished the 

 wayfarer. 



CANARIES, p. 40. It is quite possible to breed canaries out 

 of doors ; the eggs should be placed in the nests of chaffinches 

 or greenfinches, those of greenfinches would be preferable. 



The cross (artificially produced) between the cock greenfinch 

 and hen canary is common. 



Air. Davy has received from Norwich canaries bred out of 

 doors in aviaries ; but they are, as a rule, of a pale colour to 

 those bred in cages indoors, and consequently are more wild 

 for the first few days. 



During the winter these birds are so much exposed that the 

 ice has to be broken for them to drink. 



My friend, Mr. Monk, of Lewes, informs me some wild canaries 

 were taken at Southwick, near Brighton, in April, 1869, feeding 

 with a party of linnets, and as they showed no marks of having 

 lirru caged, he surmised they might have migrated here. 



I learn from Mr. Davy that there is no putting a 

 canary's song into words, but a canary may be taught any 



VOL. II. G 



