430 OBSERVATIONS ON 



young become fledged, they leave neighbourhoods, and 

 retire to sheep-walks and wild commons. 



The magpies, when they have young, destroy the 

 broods of missel thrushes ; though the dams are tierce 

 birds, and fight boldly in defence of their nests. It is 

 probably to avoid such insults, that this species of 

 thrush, though wild at other times, delights to build 

 near houses, and in frequented walks and gardens 3 . 



POULTRY. 



MANY creatures are endowed with a ready discernment 

 to see what will turn to their own advantage and emo- 

 lument; and often discover more sagacity than could 

 be expected. Thus my neighbour's poultry watch for 

 waggons loaded with wheat, and running after them 



3 Of the truth of the first of these observations I have been an eye- 

 witness, having seen the common thrush feeding on the shell snail*. 



In the very early part of this spring (1797) a bird of this species used 

 to sit every morning on the top of some high elms close by my windows, 

 and delight me with its charming song, attracted thither, probably, by 

 some ripe ivy berries that grew near the place. 



I have remarked something like the latter fact, for I remember, many 

 years ago, seeing a pair of these birds fly up repeatedly and attack some 

 larger bird, which I suppose disturbed their nest in my orchard, uttering 

 at the same time violent shrieks. Since writing the above, I have seen 

 more than once a pair of these birds attack some magpies, that had dis- 

 turbed their nest, with great violence and loud shrieks. MARRWICK. 



Opposite my study windows at Lee, I observed, last summer, a missel 

 thrush fly boldly at a carrion crow and persecute him with bill and wing, 

 till he seemed glad to leave the field. This, however, is far outdone by 

 the account M. Le Vaillant gives of a party of missel thrushes attacking 

 and actually vanquishing an eagle. RENNIE. 



* It is common with the French ornithologists, in enumerating the food 

 of insectivorous Sylvia, to mention limafons, by which they mean the very 

 small shell snails. I have found none but the whin chat that would eat 

 the slug or shelless snail (Limax), and that only after it was killed and 

 dry. 



I have observed that if a very large brown slug be trod upon and killed 

 on a moist gravel walk, frequented by others of its size and kind, one or 

 more will be found the next day upon its body apparently eating it ; and 

 by leaving the dead ones on the spot the large slugs may thus be succes- 

 sively destroyed. W. H. 



