THE PEEWIT OR PI WIPE 273 



makes me think the peewit, and many another bird, pair 

 for Hfe. 



But the spring is backward, and the wind blows dry from 

 the icy east. So the flocks keep together, feeding upon the 

 marshlands by day, and flighting to the uplands by night, 

 flying low above the reeds and dikes, where the flight- 

 shooters lie concealed ; and as the tongues of fire from the 

 guns shoot upwards across the purple, the birds turn and lap 

 and bustle — the leader crying his melancholy note, and lo ! 

 they are gone, a few of the flock being left dead on the cold 

 water, wherein the stars shine like bright flowers. And they 

 are one of the most difficult birds the shooter knows when 

 they begin lapping with their rounded pinions. 



And by night they stalk the upland feeding — especially 

 upon moonlit nights — over the newly-turned earth, upon 

 worms, slugs, snails, and insects, doing the farmer good 

 work. And when the daylight shines in the purple skies, 

 they generally go back to the marshes and dikes to wash 

 their mud-dabbled feathers ; and then you may see them 

 standing on the wet grassy shores strutting and preening 

 their feathers, crying out to each other as they wash the 

 earth from their feathers, and then to breakfast — perhaps at 

 the tail of a marsh farmer's-plough — with rooks, starlings, 

 and, if late enough in the season, brown-headed gulls, snatch- 

 ing the worms from the glistening soil ; or mayhap they go 

 to the sea-beach, now hot and teeming with life, for the tide 

 has withdrawn, and their table is spread ; or mayhap to the 

 mudflats of Breydon, where the worms wriggle in the rosy- 

 tinged ooze. But they prefer the marshland, and love 

 stagnant dike-water for their looking-glasses. 



And when the lengthening days of March have warmed 

 the sandy warrens, some of the cocks in the flocks frequent- 

 ing that district begin to tumble about amongst the hens, 

 calling, " Three bullocks a week, week arter week ; " and the 

 fenman's heart is glad, " for they'll soon be laying now," he 

 says with bright eyes, thinking of the six shillings he will 



s 



