This summer being long, and dry, I have had some difficulty in providing him with his necessary food. One day I placed him in a large hole at the bottom of the garden, where I collected the sweepings and rubbish, and he literally became a "toad-in-a-hole." This was some fifty yards from the house, and I left him to shift for himself amongst the insect life of the rubbish. I afterwards sought him to covey him back to his old neighbourhood around the house, but he was nowhere to be found, and this time I gave him up for lost. Four days after, what was my surprise, whilst seated at supper, to see Toady come tumbling heels over head down the step into the room, on a visit to his old friends? The most remarkable feature in this last freak is, the circuitous route he must have taken before he arrived, and the obstacles he must have encountered in his way. Certainly this little creature has not been endowed by nature with the most fascinating exterior, but he has, in compensation, received a beautifully brilliant eye, thoughtful, calculating, and full of power. I think that, were he better known, he would be less despised, and instead of "familiarity breeds contempt," we should have to write, "know me, and love me;" or, if not, we should be less prejudiced, and give him credit for his merits.
THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE STARLING.
Dear Sir,—The writer has a pet starling (Sturnus vulgaris), a short account of whose tameness, &c., may interest, perhaps, some of your readers. Our pet—whose adopted name is Brilliant—is a bird of great observation and intelligence, but, like many persons of talent and genius, has a temper peculiarly his own. We have accustomed our feathered favourite to be placed at the breakfast table, &c., at which time, in addition to his regular diet of meat, bread, and seeds, he is given a spoonful or two of milk, and other suitable food; these he is much pleased with, and shows his approval of, by a merry song or cheerful whistle, and utters "Meat, meat, good, good," and often will he call out "More, more," "Piggy," "Yes, yes," and many words of one syllable, &c. Brilliant is quite a practical entomologist; for he delights in examining insects, and pays particular attention to all moths, flies, and spiders brought under his notice, and they soon disappear after being placed within his reach. Brilliant shows a great dislike to beggars and persons poorly dressed, and when they approach the house he utters a harsh repeated note, calling out "Tramp, tramp, tramp," and shows other signs of extreme indignation; neither does he agree with Exeter Hall proclivity, or abolition principles, for he cannot bear the sight of a negro, and when he has seen one (which has been the case several times) he goes to the extremity of the cage, and makes a sound that can only be compared to a hiss. To any member of the family this bird is very tame and affectionate, and delights to see us all assembled together, and to listen to a lively conversation, and also always joins in the talk. The appearance of the baker, grocer, and butcher is an occasion of great pleasure, for then he expresses "Good, good," "Come, come." When let out of the cage (in a suitable room) Brilliant generally examines every article in the room, and takes great interest in the mirror, standing before it for some minutes, viewing his reflection in the glass, and perhaps reflecting on his aërial dignity, calling out at the same time, "Oh," "Old boy," &c. After satisfying his curiosity he will alight on the heads of all present, if not strangers, and then return satisfied to his cage and begin a cheerful tune.
Of course a bird with these acquired qualities soon becomes a "pet" with those fond of the feathered tribe. This is but one of the many instances that give evidence that birds and other animals may, by attention and kind treatment, become very docile and most affectionate. Kindness to the mute creation is an attitude of a noble nature, while brutality towards them shows a selfish and cowardly disposition. If we really worship Almighty God, let us be humane to all His creatures.—Yours truly,
Eagle-Killing Extraordinary.—In Norway the golden eagle is common, and, with the sea eagle, is so numerous, that from a statistical account of the sums paid each year by the Government for the destruction of beasts and birds of prey, it appears that, in the give years ending December, 1850, there were paid for, altogether, no less than 10,715 eagles! The Sutherlandshire expedition of naturalists mention the number of eagles that had been paid for between March, 1831, and March, 1834, to have been 171, besides 53 nestlings or eggs. * * In the south-west of that country a clever gamekeeper trapped 15 eagles in three months of 1817, and about as many in the winter of 1850-1, almost all of them being mountain eagles.—Ootheca Wolleyana.
