JACKDAWS. 253 



ground, listening attentively in a most significant 

 manner. Sometimes they appeared to listen in vain, 

 and then walked on, till at length, instead of moving 

 from the spot, they fell to picking a hole, as fast as 

 their heads could nod, just like the Thrushes before 

 mentioned; and in the end, almost always succeeded 

 in extracting a few large grubs, with which, as soon 

 as the fortunate finder had secured one, he hopped off 

 to enjoy his delicate morsel, followed and jostled by 

 the rest, who had been less successful in their search; 

 adding another proof of the utility of birds in rid- 

 ding us from injurious insects, and all in favour 

 of the Rook family. An accident which befel one 

 of these birds, afforded an interesting instance of 

 the efforts of nature to repair injury and mutilation. 

 It was standing on a window-sill, and had the 

 greater part of its beak crushed off, by the sudden 

 shutting of the window. The person who fed them, 

 nursed it with the greatest care, and kept it alive; 

 when the wound began to heal, it was turned out 

 amongst its companions, by whom it was as regu- 

 larly fed, as if they had been made to understand 

 that it could not feed itself; but what was still 

 more extraordinary, soon afterwards, flights of wild 

 ones, which usually remained in their lonely haunts 

 upon a neighbouring rocky mountain, came down 

 to the garden, and were constantly hovering over 

 their disabled and mutilated companion, as if to 

 marvel at its strange appearance., As the wound 

 healed, the upper part of the bill, two-thirds of 

 which, at least, had been severed, began to grow, 

 and in a few months had made considerable pro- 

 gress, with every prospect of its finally assuming its 



