WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA 31 



and again descend, and when close to the earth, 

 every bird dropping his bright-coloured legs to touch 

 the ground, suddenly they change their minds and 

 rise to wheel about for a minute or two and then go 

 right away out to sea. 



It was no doubt my presence on several occasions 

 which prevented them from settling down with the 

 others; for it was no harmless shepherd or farm- 

 labourer which they perceived looked on standing 

 motionless by the gate watching their fellows, a 

 suspicious-looking object in his hand. It might be 

 a gamekeeper or sportsman whose intention was to 

 send a charge of shot into the crowd. But this going 

 away of the flock instead of alighting would prove 

 too much for the others: they would now be all 

 awake; the suspicion would grow and grow, every 

 bird standing up with outstretched neck; then they 

 would draw closer together, emitting excited cackling 

 sounds, all asking what it was — what had frightened 

 their fellows and sent them away — what danger in- 

 visible to them had they spied from aloft ? And 

 then they would spring simultaneously into the air 

 with a rushing noise of wings and tempest of screams, 

 and rising high go straight away over the sea, soon 

 vanishing from sight, only to return half an hour later 

 and settle down once more in the same green place. 



To the naturalist, to any bird-lover in fact, a large 

 gathering of big birds is, of all sights, the most ex- 

 hilarating, especially in this country where the big 

 birds have been diligently weeded out until few are 

 left. At Wells I had two matters in my mind to 



