70 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



j oiliest creatures in the gardens ; I found one 

 of them rolling on its back, while another 

 jumped on top of it with screams of glee, in 

 spite of the dull cold day, which was enough 

 to take the spirit out of anything. It seems 

 strange that such jolly birds should be so 

 cruel ; but they must attack the sheep from 

 real want of food, for at the Zoo it has been 

 found that they soon get tired of the raw 

 mutton chops which are given them at first, 

 and like the ordinary parrot-food better. 



The crow tribe are well known as very 

 funny fellows, and I have seen them have some 

 very amusing games. At the Battersea Park 

 aviary they had at one time a raven in one 

 compartment and a crow in the adjoining 

 one, and one day there was quite a got-up 

 game between them. The raven picked up a 

 quill-feather and laced it into the wire-netting 

 of the partition ; then he seemed to " dare " 

 the crow to take it, for he would walk up and 

 down as if he had forgotten it, and the crow, 

 quite entering into the spirit of the thing, 

 would sneak up to steal it, but just as he 

 nearly touched it, the raven would make a 

 fierce-looking rush at the wires and drive him 



