62 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



of lead in his body if not from some natural disease. 

 I watched him for twenty or twenty-five minutes, 

 during which he made not the slightest motion. Then 

 a blackbird shot out from the wood, passing over my 

 head, and flew straight out over the marsh, and, 

 following it with my glasses, I saw it pitch on the 

 bush near which the pheasant was standing. The 

 pheasant instantly put up his head; the blackbird 

 then flew down to him, and immediately both birds 

 began moving about in search of food, the pheaaant 

 stepping quietly over the sward, pecking as he went; 

 the blackbird making his quick little runs, now to 

 this side, then to that, then on ahead and at intervals 

 running back to the other. Presently the sudden near 

 loud cry of a carrion-crow flying to the wood startled 

 the blackbird, and he rushed away to the bush, where 

 he remained perched for about a minute; the other 

 was not startled, but he at once left off feeding 

 and stood motionless, patiently waiting till his com- 

 panion returned to him, and they went on as before. 

 The pheasant now discovered something to his taste, 

 and for several minutes remained still, pecking rapidly 

 at the same spot, the other running about in quest of 

 worms until he found and succeeded in pulling one 

 out and spent some time over it; then came back 

 again to the pheasant. 



During all this time I could not detect any other 

 birds from the wood, not even a thrush that feeds 

 latest, on all the marsh; they were all at roost, and 

 it was impossible not to believe that these two were 

 friends, accustomed to meet at that spot and feed 



