CORRESPONDENCE 195 



some time ago I saw three at once over my house. 

 They are seen mostly in couples. The Wild Swan 

 (Bewick) frequents our lakes. I counted one hun- 

 dred and ten in one flock the year before last. Last 

 winter the most I saw at once was fifty-four. The 

 Eagles killed one of them." 



Out of such a number of letters it is not easy to 

 make selections when so many seem to claim notice. 

 At best I can only hope to cite a few typical ones 

 which must serve as examples of hundreds of others. 

 Many are those which record deeds of kindness 

 towards friends in fur and feather. Here, for in- 

 stance, are two from a lady correspondent in 

 Devonshire which contain some interesting facts. 

 She says : 



" I live in a detached country house, and make a 

 practice of feeding various birds from the windows. 

 On the lawn we often see Wood-Pigeons, Magpies, 

 Jays, Rooks, and two kinds of Woodpeckers, all close 

 to the house. One Rook, who is an almost constant 

 attendant, has apparently lost part of the upper 

 mandible of the bill ; the lower part has, in con- 

 sequence, grown prodigiously, curling upwards to- 

 wards the forehead of the bird, who has, of course, 

 much difficulty in feeding. He takes up grains of 

 Indian-corn with his head placed on the ground 

 sideways. I believe he roosts here always alone, 

 and does not resort to any rookery. ... A pair of 

 Nuthatches often appear close to the windows, upon 

 the ledges sometimes, and take nuts placed there 

 for them ; they also come into the bedrooms and 



