62 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



spied a cock pheasant about two hundred yards out, 

 standing bunched up in a dejected attitude at the side 

 of a dyke and wire fence with a few bramble bushes 

 growing by it He looked sick, perhaps suffering from 

 the effects of a stray pellet of lead in his body if not 

 from some natural disease. I watched him for twenty 

 or twenty-five minutes, during which he made not the 

 slightest motion. Then a blackbird shot out from the 

 wood, passing over my head, and flew straight out over 

 the marsh, and, following it with my glasses, I saw it 

 pitch on the bush near which the pheasant was standing. 

 The pheasant instantly put up his head; the blackbird 

 then flew down to him, and immediately both birds 

 began moving about in search of food, the pheasant 

 stepping quietly over the sward, pecking as he went; 

 the blackbird making his quick little runs, now to this 

 side, then to that, then on ahead and at intervals run- 

 ning back to the other. Presently the sudden near loud 

 cry of a carrion-crow flying to the wood startled the 

 blackbird, and he rushed away to the bush, where he 

 remained perched for about a minute; the other was 

 not startled, but he at once left off feeding and stood 

 motionless, patiently waiting till his companion returned 

 to him, and they went on as before. The pheasant now 

 discovered something to his taste, and for several min- 

 utes remained still, pecking rapidly at the same spot, 

 the other running about In quest of worms until he 

 found and succeeded In pulling one out and spent some 

 time over It; then came back again to the pheasant. 

 During all this time I could not detect any other birds 



