WILD WINGS: A FAREWELL 303 



foot or two above the ground. It was a wounded bird, 

 shot somewhere on its feeding-ground, and, being 

 unable to keep with the flock, was travelling slowly 

 and painfully to the roosting-place on the sands. 

 When it had got about a couple of hundred yards 

 past me a few redshanks rose from the edge of the 

 creek and, after wheeling round once or twice, dropped 

 down again in the same place, and no sooner had they 

 alighted than the goose turned aside from his course 

 and, flying straight to them, pitched on the ground 

 at their side. That is just how a bird of social dis- 

 position will always act when forsaken by his fellows 

 and in distress : it will try to get with others, however 

 unlike its own species they may be — even a goose 

 with redshanks; and this, too, in a most dangerous 

 place for a goose to delay in, where gunners are 

 accustomed to hide in the creeks. It was evident 

 that he was ill at ease and troubled at my presence, 

 as after alighting he continued standing erect with 

 head towards me. There he remained with the red- 

 shanks for full fifteen minutes, but he had not been 

 more than two minutes on the spot before a passing 

 hooded crow dropped down close to and began walking 

 round him. The crow will not attack a wounded 

 goose, even when badly wounded, but he knows when 

 a bird is in trouble and he must satisfy his inquisitive 

 nature by looking closely at him to find out how bad 

 he really is. The goose, too, knows exactly what the 

 crow's life and mind is, and no doubt despises him. 

 I watched them intently, and every time the crow 

 came within a couple of feet of him the goose bent 



