104 BRITISH LAND BIRDS. 



ground lie draws back his head, as if to make a 

 determined peck. Again he pauses, listens, hops, 

 perhaps once or twice, scarcely changing his 

 position, and pecks smartly on tha sod ; then, is 

 once more motionless as a stuffed bird. But he 

 knows well what he is about ; for, after another 

 moment's pause, after having ascertained that all 

 is right, he pecks away with might and main, and 

 soon draws out a worm, which his fine sense of 

 hearing had informed him was not far off, and 

 which his hops and previous peckings had attracted 

 to the surface to escape the approach of what the 

 poor worm perhaps thought might be his under- 

 ground enemy, the mole." 



Many amusing anecdotes are told of this bird. 

 One must suffice here ; it is mentioned by Mr. 

 Knapp, in his " Journal of a Naturalist." He 

 says, " We observed this summer, two common 

 thrushes, frequenting the shrubs on the green in 

 our garden. There was an association and friend- 

 ship between them that called our attention to 

 their actions. One of them seemed ailing, or 

 feeble from some accident ; for though it hopped 

 about it seemed unable to get enough food. Its 

 companion, an active, sprightly -bird, would 

 frequently bring it worms or bruised snails, when 

 they partook of the banquet together. The sickly 

 bird would wait patiently, understand the actions, 



