THE CHOUGH.
I think I may here describe a bird, which, although he was not ourproperty, was watched with much interest by us, and which we never metwith but once.
It was a Chough.
It belonged to an officer who was living in the same barracks; and wefirst saw it perched on the window-sill of his kitchen.
"Is that a crow?" asked my sister, pointing to it, as we stopped toexamine it.
"That cannot be a crow," I answered; "its legs are yellow, as well asits beak; and it is more slender, and a more bluish sort of black."
When we approached and offered to touch it; it did not draw back orappear shy, but allowed us to stroke its back and look at it quiteclosely.
It was a very handsome bird; its plumage beautifully glossy; its clawshooked and black; and its tongue very long. It was pecking at a plateof food that was near it; but did not appear very hungry.
Presently, the officer's servant came to the window, and we enquiredwhat it was.
"A Cornish Chough," was the answer.
We had never seen one before; indeed, knew nothing about that sort ofbird. We had, indeed, heard its name in an old song or glee, called the"Chough and Crow;" or that begins with those words.
So we asked Mamma about it when we went in, and she showed us anaccount of it, in which we found that it is not at all commoneverywhere, like a crow; but that it only lives in the cliffs ofCornwall, Devonshire, and Wales; and has sometimes, but rarely, beenseen about Beachy Head, and in no other part of Europe, excepting theAlps. So that it is really a very uncommon bird.
The same account said that they could be taught to speak like ajackdaw.
But we never heard this one say anything, or make any noise, except asort of call or croak, with which he answered the servant who attendedto him.
We always stopped to stroke and pat him when we went out to walk; andhe was a great pet with the soldiers, and went about some years withthe regiment.
He showed his intelligence and quickness in a very curious way.
During the time that the regiment was quartered in Scotland he waslost; he had either wandered out of the barrack-gate, and had failed tofind his way back again; or he had been picked up and carried away bysome thief. He was, however, never seen or heard of for many months,and was given up as lost.
The regiment then removed to Edinburgh; and two or three soldiers wentto visit a sort of zoological garden in the outskirts. There were agreat number of cages, among other things; and the attention of the menwas attracted to one of these cages by the violent fluttering andexertion made by the inhabitant to get out.
On coming closer to the cage, they perceived that the prisoner was theold Cornish Chough; and they asked the keeper if it was lately thatthey had confined it, since it seemed so uneasy.
The man said that it had been in that cage for a long time, and neverhad been otherwise than perfectly quiet and satisfied.
They wished to take it away, saying they knew the bird's former master;but the owner refused to part with it, and the soldiers passed on.
On their way back, the keeper was still standing watching the bird;who, as soon as the soldiers came again in sight, fluttered and dasheditself violently against the bars.
The man said that losing sight of them, it became quiet, and satdolefully on its perch; but the moment it again saw them, it exertedall its strength to reach them.
There is no doubt that the poor bird recognised the red-coats, amongwhich it had formerly lived, and wished to go to his old friends.
The soldiers told the officer how they had discovered his old pet; andhe purchased it from the keeper of the garden.
The poor Chough manifested great pleasure at being again in the barrackkitchen, and followed the fortunes of the regiment until his master'sdeath, when we lost sight of the yellow-billed yellow-legged CornishChough.