THRUSHES AND ROOKS.
[TO TEN EDITOR OP TER " SPECTATOR."] Sit,—It would be interesting to know whether the following curious scene has been observed by others as well as by the writer of this letter. About a fortnight ago my attention was arrested by the excited chase of a fine young rook, the pursuer being apparently a missel-thrush. The rook was dashing about in the air, and performing magnificent circles of flight above and around an old acacia-tree, upon a bough of which the thrush sat waiting and watching. The moment the rook wheeled round close to that part of the tree, the thrush, with extraordinary rapidity of observation and flight, gave chase, and seemed almost to overtake the rook, which, however, got away and resumed its uninterrupted course. This process was repeated two or three times, and I could only come to the conclusion that the missel-thrush, which is known to be fierce at this one season of the year, though at other times a mild and gentle bird, was guarding a nest close by, and hence angrily flew at the rook. Rooks are said to be the pet aversion of thrushes, and the largest and finest of the latter, the missel-thrush, whether when braving a gale of wind (hence the name of storm-cock) or defending its nest,
has any amount of courage, and, during the breeding season, has been seen to "attack " (so the late Bishop Stanley tells us) " even a hawk, and fairly drive him from the neigh-
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