I70 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



neast in a diy mash, when I see the two old buds going 

 back'ards and for'ards in the daytime, beating 'bout the 

 mashes hke a harrier. I know'd 'em in a minute by their 

 fly. I watched 'em ; when one on 'em caught a mouse or a 

 bud he would rise up and soar thirty or fort}- 3'ards high 

 afore the wind, then off he'd go to his neast. I watched 'em 

 two or tree days at this game afore I went to hev a look ; 

 there they was huntin' like an old buzzard just above the 

 rushes, and all at onest one would dart down and catch his 

 grub. They don't huver like a kestrel. I saw the male 

 bud did most of the catching ; he kept going off and droppin' 

 onter his neast. Since both of 'em was hunting, I knowed 

 there must be flappers ; so off I go ontil my face was 

 close; and as I drawed nigh the neast, the old cock bud 

 kept calling overhead, and when 1 got right agin the neast, 

 the old hen flew up and flew on a few yards, and then she 

 went tumbling on ter mash, as if all her bones was broke, 

 she was that artful. If I'd been fule enough to follow her, 

 she'd have gone on for ever. I follered one onest ; she led 

 me acrost tew mashes. Time she was doing this the old 

 cock was hanging shriekin' over us. There was the neast, 

 just like rushes beat down ; there was tree 3'oung 'uns and 

 one rotten egg; they were in down. There was a lot of 

 mice and birds at the neast, and a young half-grown water- 

 rat (vole). I took the egg and one young 'un, and I took 

 him home and fed him on buds, mice, and rats ; he would 

 eat nigh anything. He held 'em in his claws and tore 'em 

 up. When he was wery young he was wery fond of turning 

 onter his back and shriekin'. He got wery tame, wer}- tame 

 indeed. He got so he would watch for me coming home ; 

 he fared ter know when my time was. When he see me 

 he would come with his wings out a-shriekin'. But he 

 hev mistook other folk for me. I sold him to a gent when 

 he got big. 



" I hev killed lots on 'em. I hev put six up off a mash 

 — not all at onest, mind you. They was a clutch, no doubt. 



