AMBULANCE WORK.

Forest and Bird, Issue 25, 1 October 1931, Page 5

AMBULANCE WORK.

Out in the midst of traffic fluttered the wounded sparrow, its broken wing dragging. Cars whizzed by, each wheel a threat charged with death. Few of the motorists saw the bird, but finally one woman driver noticed the pathetic little creature and swung her machine to the curb to rescue it. Just as she was about to pick it up, however, recounts a news story in the “New Orleans States,” two other sparrows alighted one on each side of the injured bird and, catching its wings with their bills, dragged it to the sidewalk. Then, with the skill of human workmen lifting a heavy piece of furniture, the two rescuers hauled it over the curb and into a clump of bushes. A somewhat similar happening to this occurred at Paekakariki, near Wellington, where a silver-eye was seen to 'lead its mate, which had a hurt wing, up into a ngaio tree by hops and jumps right up to a feeding tray placed in the tree. While the wounded bird fed, its mate drove off all other silvereyes. Similarly, snipe have been reported to be well up in splint methods and are credited with being adepts at mending legs which have been broken by shot, with odd bits of grass, etc.