THE TEMPLES OF THE HILLS 269 



Leaving tlic great wood, I went a few miles away to 

 visit one of the large unprotected clumps, and found 

 there a family of four carrion-crows — two adults and 

 two young; at my approach they flapi)cd lieavily from 

 the tree in which they were resting, and (lew slowly to 

 another about lifty yards away, and sat there peering 

 at me and uttering loud caws as if protesting against 

 the intrusion. 



At another unprotected clump on a low down I dis- 

 covered a varied colony of birds — some breeding, others 

 with young out of the nest. It was a large grove of 

 old pine-trees, almost sluit in with a thick growth of 

 thorn and holly, mixed with bramble and masses of 

 wild clematis. It was full of the crooning sound of 

 turtle-doves, and in the high firs several wood-pigeons 

 had their nests. There were several magpies and in- 

 variably on my coming to the spot they would put in 

 an appearance — quaint black-and-white birds, sitting on 

 the top boughs of the thorns always with tlieir decorative 

 tails behind them. A pair of carrion-crows were there 

 too, but appeared to have no nest or young. Better 

 still it was to find a family of long-eared owls — two 

 adults and three young, beginning to fend for them- 

 selves. Best of all was a pair of sparrow-hawks with 

 young in their nest ; for the sparrow-hawk is one of 

 my prime favourites, and the presence of these birds 

 delighted me even more than that of tlic owls. 



It was evident that these hawks did not associate my 

 appearance with the quick sharp report of a gun and 

 the rattle of shot about them, with perhaps the fiery 



