28o BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



after a night, usually wet and cold, of from six- 

 teen to eighteen hours and only about six to feed 

 in, they must be in a half-starved state and frantic 

 to find something to swallow. No sooner do they 

 alight than they begin running about, prodding 

 with their beaks, and all the time advancing, the 

 birds keeping pretty well abreast. Now, from 

 time to time you will notice that a bird finds some- 

 thing to delay him and is left behind by the others. 

 On they go — prod, prod, then a little run, then 

 prod, prod again and run again — while he, ex- 

 cited over his find, and vigorously digging at the 

 roots of the grass, lets them go on without him 

 until he is yards behind. Whenever this hap- 

 pens you will see one of the advancing birds pause 

 in its prodding to look back from time to time 

 as if anxious about the one left behind; and by 

 and by this same bird, its anxiety increasing, will 

 suddenly spring into the air and fly back to place 

 itself at the side of the other, to wait quietly 

 until it has finished its task; and no sooner does 

 the busy one put up its head to signal that he is 

 ready than up they spring and fly together on 

 to the flock. No one witnessing this action can 

 doubt for a moment that these two are mates, 



