APRIL. THRUSHES — BLACKBIRDS — BEAN-GEESE. 209 



appear that they bring them to the same place for 

 many successive years. 



In some of the woods the thrushes and blackbirds 

 carry the land-shells to certain fixed stones, against 

 which they break them, in order to get at the snails. 

 In a wood of "Brodie" where the round yellow and 

 black-striped shell {Helix nemoralis) is abundant, 

 owing I conclude to the rocks under the surface being 

 limestone, I watched two thrushes bring several of 

 these shells in a very short space of time ; they 

 knocked them against the stone, and if that did not 

 do, they struck the shell in a crevice and hammered 

 away at it until they extracted the snail, with which 

 they then flew away, probably to feed their young. 

 Whenever I passed through the wood I always 

 visited the thrushes' stone, and found an increasing 

 heap of broken shells. Most birds, if carefully 

 watched, would be found to have recourse to 

 various most surprising expedients in order to 

 obtain food for themselves and their young. 



In this country April is the best month for the 

 Bean-geese, yet many weary and often fruitless 

 miles I have walked in pursuit of them. There is 

 something in the wildness and wariness of this fine 

 bird that makes it a peculiarly attractive object 

 of pursuit ; but wild-goose shooting is 



" Omnium rerum incertissima. " 

 VOL. I. P 



