BIRD-KINDNESS.
[0 THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—You may care to print the following bird story, whicl has reached me from a trustworthy and accurate observer.—
" Here is a little natural history for you, with which I am delighted, as it is another corroboration of my theory as to the extreme (occasional) kindness of birds towards invalided friends. Last winter a starling who had only one leg came daily to be fed ; the other appeared to have been torn out entirely, not a vestige of it remaining. The poor bird was very awkward in balancing itself, and such a piteous sight that we held a council of war to decide whether it would be kindest to shoot it or feed it. What determined me to vote for its life was that I noticed the extreme kindness of the other starlings allowing it to have the choicest morsels, and often waiting their turn until it had finished its meal. The starling has returned this winter, and comes daily to be fed, and still I notice the same kindness shown it by the others, excepting by one cross-grained bully who pecks every one indiscriminately. But on one occasion, when the bully pecked the invalid, another starling flew to the rescue and pecked the bully into decent behaviour. Now isn't this a nice story of bird-kindness ?—M. G. L."
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