STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SHELDRAKE 193 



his burrow in the dunes, and the patient watcher 

 sees him at a great distance on account of his con- 

 spicuous white plumage, and marks the spot, then 

 takes his spade to dig down to the hidden eggs. 



On the Somerset coast the bird is not so badly 

 off, and I have had many happy days with him 

 there. Simply to watch the birds at feed, when 

 the tide goes out and they are busy searching for 

 the small marine creatures they live on among the 

 stranded seaweed, is a great pleasure. At such 

 times they are most active and loquacious, utter- 

 ing a variety of wild goose-like sounds, frequently 

 rising to pursue one another in circles, or to fly up 

 and down the coast in pairs, or strings of half a 

 dozen birds, with a wonderfully graceful flight. 

 If, after watching this sea-fowl by the sea, a person 

 will go to some park water to look on the same bird, 

 pinioned and tame, sitting or standing, or swim- 

 ming about in a quiet, listless way, he will be amazed 

 at the difference in its appearance. The tame 

 bird is no bigger than a domestic duck ; the wild 

 sheldrake, flying about in the strong sunshine, 

 looks almost as large as a goose. A similar illusion 

 is produced in the case of some other large birds. 

 Thus, the common buzzard, when rising in circles 

 high above us, at times appears as big as an eagle. 



