54 BIRDS AND MAN 



surprised and puzzled me not a little ; their action 

 had a peculiar interest just then, as the encounter 

 with the pheasant, and the sight of the multitude 

 of swallows and their indifference towards me were 

 still very fresh in memory. The incident has only 

 an indirect bearing on the subject discussed here, 

 but I think it is worth relating. 



About two miles from Frensham ponds there 

 is a plantation of fir-trees with a good deal of gorse 

 growing scattered about among the trees ; in walk- 

 ing through this wood on previous occasions I had 

 noticed that gold-crests were abundant in it. Soon 

 after sunset on the evening in question I went through 

 this wood, and after going about eighty to a hundred 

 yards became conscious of a commotion of a novel 

 kind in the branches above my head — conscious too 

 that it had been going on for some time, and that 

 absorbed in thought I had not remarked it. A 

 considerable number of gold-crests were flitting 

 through the branches and passing from tree to tree, 

 keeping over and near me, all together uttering 

 their most vehement cries of alarm. I stopped and 

 listened to the little chorus of shrill squeaking 

 sounds, and watched the birds as well as I could in 

 the obscurity of the branches, flitting about in the 

 greatest agitation. It was perfectly clear that I 



