A BIRD STORY.
[To ma EDITOR OF THU " FiPmerrrox."1
SIR,—I know that you are interested in birds and their ways, and I think you will like to hear of an instance of sagacity and sympathy on the part of a rook in my garden. We feed the birds and always have water for them, and lately a poor maimed rook has been coming with the others. He bus lost one leg altogether, and the other hangs limp and useless without any foot. It seemed so pitiful to see him trying to get along on the ground with the help of his wings that I thought it would be the kindest thing to have him destroyed, but the following incident happened which made me feel that the sentence must be suspended. The poor thing was on the lawn with three others. The three all drank, and two of them flew away. The one that remained stood before the cripple and bowed several times till his head nearly touched the ground, then he walked all round him as if considering what to do, then with a sudden determination ho carefully put his wing under one of the cripple's wings and dragged and sup. ported him to the water.
The basin is rather high, so when they reached it be gave an extra tug to lift him up, and after filling his own beak and dropping water into his friend's mouth, as if to show where the water was, the invalid was able to reach it for himself. This happened two days ago, ant a member of the family who observed the birds a great deal thinks that the maimed bird is a hen and that the chivalrous friend is her mate, because next to one of the nests a large rook is con- staidly perching, and he is seen to feed the inmate. But water he cannot bring, and for that she must come down. But whether he is a hue band or a friend he shows devotion and intelligence.-1 ani, Sir, St.o., KATHARINE EVERETT. .Ryletone, Shanklin, Isle of Wight.
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