reserves lead to his being so ruthlessly
shot by gamekeepers till it is almost a rare sight to see the handsome
bird and hear his note of alarm in the woods. One morning I saw a jay on
the lawn near the house, and rather wondering as to what he was seeking,
in a minute or two I saw him pounce upon a young half-fledged bird and
carry it off in his beak, a helpless little baby wing fluttering in the
air as he flew away. Their sight is wonderfully keen, and their cunning
is amusing to watch as they steal by careful steps nearer and nearer to
their prey, and at last by a sudden dart secure it and make off in rapid
flight.

[Illustration: THE JAY.]

After a year or two my poor jay met with a very sad fate. A garden-party
was to take place, and knowing the jay's terror of any unusual noise or
upstir, I carried his cage to a quiet room where I hoped he would be
quite happy and hear nothing.

I, however, did not happen to notice that, later on, the band had
established their quarters near this room, and I suppose the unwonted
sounds drove the poor bird into a wild state of terror, and that in his
flutterings he had caught his leg in the bars of the cage; anyway, I
went up about the middle of the party to see how my pet was faring, when
I found him in utter misery clinging to the bars, his thigh dislocated
and his leg hopelessly broken. It was a mournful duty to carry him away
to merciful hands that would end his torture by an instant death. For
many a day I missed that bright, handsome birdie who had always a
welcome for me and the offer of such hospitality as his cage afforded.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: A YOUNG CUCKOO.]

[Illustration]

A YOUNG CUCKOO.

Looking out of my window before six o'clock one bright morning in early
summer, I chanced to see a large bird sitting quietly on the gravel
walk. Its feathers were ruffled as if it felt cold and miserable, and
its drooping head told a tale of unhappiness from some cause or other.
Whilst I was watching it, a little bird darted with all its force
against the larger one, and made it roll over on the path; it slowly
rose up again, but in another minute a bird from the other side flew
against it and again rolled it over. Such conduct could not be
tolerated, so, dressing quickly, I went out, and picking up the strange
bird I found it was a young cuckoo nearly starved to death, having, as I
supposed, lost its foster-parents. The bird was in beautiful plum