BIRDS IN AUTHORITY 55 



placing themselves behind him and observing all the 

 attitudes and gestures used in their "dances" or marches 

 and giving the signal, the three set off at a trot to the 

 sound of drums and the thirsty bird was run down 

 to the water. He at once went into the depth of his 

 knees and drank, then squatting down, bathed his 

 feathers, the whole process lasting about half a minute. 

 He would, no doubt, have taken much longer over his 

 refreshment but for the two birds who had run him 

 down to the water, and who continued standing on the 

 margin emitting their loud authoritative cries. Coming 

 out, he was again received as at first, and trotted briskly 

 away with drumming sounds to a place with the others. 

 No sooner was this done than the two, smoothing their 

 feathers and changing their notes, resumed their march- 

 ing about among their fellows, until another lapwing 

 arrived, whereupon the whole ceremony was gone through 

 again. 



Without a doubt this performance had nothing but 

 play for a motive, the remarkable thing about it was 

 that it was made to fit so admirably into the serious 

 business which brought them together at that spot. They 

 came, one by one, from all over the plain, at noon on a 

 hot thirsty day, solely for refreshment, yet every bird 

 on arrival instantly fell into the humour of the moment 

 and took his appointed part and place in the game. It 

 struck me at the time as a very strange thing, for well 

 as I knew the bird, I had never witnessed an act pre- 

 cisely like this before. Yet it does not stand alone, 

 except in form; any day and every day we may see 



