Feeding and Protection of Young Birds. 107 



onslaug-hts of an enraged mother Peewit. One day, 

 whilst lying hidden at the foot of an old hedgerow, 

 wdth my field-glasses I saw^ the funniest bit of bird 

 war I ever witnessed. A mother Peewit had four 

 downy little chicks in a bare grass field on my left, 

 and a pair of Carrion Crows were trying their very 

 best to make a meal off them. Poor Mrs. Peewdt ! 

 She was in a great state of excitement, charging 

 first one w^ould-be robber and then the other. AYhen 

 she had succeeded in driving them oft* for a few 

 minutes, she alighted and called her chiklren 

 together just as plainly as if she had said, " Keep 

 close together, bairns; then I can guard you all 

 the better against those great black villains over- 

 head." At last I rose and helped the distressed 

 mother out of her dilemma by pointing my stick 

 at the Crows as if it w^ere a o'un and thus friofhteninj? 

 them away. 



That old mother Peewit was the most sensible 

 bird I ever met. One day, when I visited her par- 

 ticular field, she w\as busih^ engaged driving off 

 Rooks. I could not make out for a while w^hy she 

 stood twenty or tbirty yards to the left of her 

 chicks, but by-and-by discovered the excellence of 

 her wisdom. A strong wdnd was blowing from her 

 children towards herself, and numbers of Rooks 

 wxre busy seeking food for their callow broods in 

 a w^ood a few hundred yards to her left. The 

 cunning bird knew that her unscrupulous neigh- 

 bours always flew low against the breeze on their 



