THE CONE-BILLXD PERGHERS. 233 



away with the largest piece under a water-butt, where he kept 

 watch over it." 



It has a great capacity for imitating sounds, and can be 

 taught to pronounce whole sentences, or sing songs with wonderful 

 accuracy. 



The Book inhabits almost every part of Europe, and is 

 very common in England, where it lives in a kind of semi-domes- 

 tication, usually inhabiting a grove of trees near a house, or in a 

 park, where it is protected by the owner, although he makes it 

 pay for this accommodation by shooting the young once every year. 

 Apparently in consequence of this annual persecution, the Book 

 has an intense horror of guns, perceiving them at a great distance. 

 While feeding in flocks in the fields, or following the ploughman 

 in his course, and devouring the worms and grubs turned up by 

 the share, the Book has always a sentinel planted in a neighboring 

 tree, who instantly gives the alarm at the sight of a gun, or of a 

 suspicious-looking object. 



The good which the Book does by devouring the grubs of 

 the cockchaffer, and the tipulas or daddy-long-legs, both of which 

 are exceedingly injurious to the crops, more than compensates for 

 the damage it sometimes causes, by pulling up young corn, or 

 newly-set potato cuttings ; in the latter case more, I believe, to get 

 at the wireworms, which crowd to the slices of potato, than to eat 

 the vegetable itself. In the fruit season, the Book, like most other 

 birds, likes to have his share of the cherries, pears, and waln-jts 

 but may be easily kept away by the occasional sight of a gun. 



Bound the base of the Book's beak is a whitish looking 

 skin, denuded of feathers, the reason or cause of which is not 

 very obvicu-. The eggs of this bird are five in number, similar 

 to those of the raven in color, but much smaller. The length of 

 the bird is nineteen inches. 



. Ths Jackdaw is another well-known bird. It does not 

 build in the branches of trees like the rook, to which it is very 

 similar in many respects, but prefers holes in decayed trees or old 

 buildings, particularly frequenting church towers and steeples. 

 The Jackdaw feeds upon almost any substance that it can find. 



