302 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



nothing particular to see, or at all events nothing worth 

 noting down. The more the species in a gathering the 

 greater the interest one takes in watching them, on 

 account of the marked difference in disposition they 

 exhibit; but, speaking of the bird-life of the meadows 

 and shore, they have this in common, that they all 

 appear to take a certain pleasure in each other's com- 

 pany. I notice, for instance, that if a pair of peewits 

 are in a meadow and a flock of starlings appear, after 

 wheeling about as if undecided for a few moments, they 

 almost invariably drop down where the peewits are and 

 feed in their company. If rooks or fieldfares come 

 they too join the others. Even where there are only 

 large birds on the spot, geese or sheldrakes for example, 

 any small birds that come to the place, starlings, 

 thrushes, larks, will alight among or alongside of them. 

 They will appear to know each other, and if no rela- 

 tions, they are friends and intimates — geese, ducks, 

 rooks, daws, crows, peewits, thrushes of all kinds, larks, 

 pipits, and wagtails; also curlews, redshanks and other 

 small shore birds during the intervals when they leave 

 the sea. On these meadows herons and gulls are also 

 included in the company. You cannot watch one of 

 these gatherings for long without witnessing many 

 little incidents that have nothing to do with the business 

 in hand — the search for small seeds hidden on the sur- 

 face and for grubs beneath it lying among the fibrous 

 roots of grass. It is an important matter, and it takes 

 a long time to get a satisfactory meal when each morsel 

 or half-mouthful has to be searched for in a separate 



