30 BRITISH LAND BIRDS. 



beneficence of God on behalf of these his crea- 

 tures. If such birds as the quail, the woodcock, 

 the snipe, the nightingale, and the swallow per- 

 formed those aerial voyages in the day-time, they 

 would be subject to the harassing attacks of birds 

 of prey, as well as of man, but shaded by the 

 friendly veil of night they pass on in security, 

 proclaiming to each other, by friendly calls, the 

 route to be kept. 



But the mode in which birds convey to each 

 other, under certain circumstances, their ideas 

 and wishes, is often quite beyond our observation. 

 That they do carry on a mutual intercourse and 

 communication of ideas is indisputable. A gentle- 

 man who held a high official appointment in 

 Persia, related the following anecdote to Mr. 

 Jesse, which is remarkably in point : 



Storks abound in Persia, and make their nests 

 on old towers and ruins. One season a pair of 

 these birds returned to their old haunt on the top 

 of a building opposite one of the windows of this 

 gentleman's residence, but they found it pre-oc- 

 cupied by a pair of pea-fowl. The storks vainly 

 endeavoured to dislodge the intruders ; they re- 

 solutely refused to give up possession. In this 

 dilemma the storks flew away, but returned in 

 two days, accompanied by a l*irge number of 

 other storks, who assisted effectually in driving 



