98 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



was how I interpreted what he appeared to be saying; 

 "What has come to me — what ails me that I cannot 

 continue my journey ? The sun is now as high as it 

 will be : the green country is so near — a few minutes' 

 flight would carry me across this flat sea-marsh to 

 the woods and thickets where there are safety and 

 the moist green fields to feed in. Yet I dare not 

 venture. Hark! that is the hooded crow; he is 

 everywhere roaming about over the marshland in 

 quest of small crabs and carrion left by the tide in 

 the creeks. He would detect this weakness I find 

 in me which would cause me to travel near the surface 

 with a languid flight; and if he saw and gave chase, 

 knowing me to be a sick straggler, my heart would 

 fail and there would be no escape. Day and night 

 I have flown southwards from that distant place 

 where my home and nest was in the birches, where 

 with my mate and young and all my neighbours we 

 lived happily together, and finally set out together 

 on this journey. Yesterday when it grew dark we 

 were over the sea, flying very high; there was little 

 • wind, and it was against us, and even at a great 

 height the air seemed heavy. And it grew black with 

 clouds that were above us, and we were wetted with 

 heavy rain; it ceased and the blackness went by, 

 and we found that we had dropped far, far down and 

 were near the sea. It was a quiet sea, and the sky 

 had grown very clear, sprinkled with brilliant stars 

 as on a night of frost, and the stars were reflected 

 below us so that we seemed to be flying between two 

 starry skies, one above and one beneath. I was 



