168 Pictures of Bird Life 



imicli alarm as tliey go about their daily work. The male 

 birds keep strict watch, and give the alarm to the sitting 

 females. These never rise direct from the eggs, but run 

 SDuie distance before taking flight. 



If at your approach both birds wheel aroimd with loud 

 outcries, and perhaps tumble to the groimd as though injured, 

 or fly immediately over your head, you may depend upon_ it 

 that they have young ones hiding among the grass. If they 

 h'dve eggs, they Hy right awa}'. If now you hide up in some 

 ditch or convenient bush and watch, the bird which first 

 appears with wailing cries and tumbling flight is the cock. 

 It is no use watching him : his duty is to humbug you ; 

 and if you do not know his tricks, he will do it very 

 cle^'erly. 



If you pay too nuich attention to him. you may miss 

 seeing the hen, Mhich will fly silently and quietly low do^^n, 

 and settle in tlie farther corner of the field, standing at first 

 perfectly motionless for some time. I think that generally 

 for the first few yards the direction in Avhich she runs 

 will be likely to point to the nest, but it is very difficult 

 to say with certainty. An}'way, after a yard or two she 

 will stop and pretend to feed and preen herself, an.d then 

 start off in another direction. She Avill then run about in 

 an apparently aimless fashion, as if thinking of an}i:hing 

 rather than sitting on eggs ; but always, in the long-run, 

 she will approach the nest by slow degrees. 



It is very pretty to see her daintily tripping over the 

 rough groimd, now stopping to ])ick uj) an insect, now 



