WIND WINGS: A FAREWELL 303 



place; but it docs not take up their wliole attention; 

 there is always some sort of byplay going on, en- 

 counters friendly or hostile between two birds, mis- 

 chievous pranks and ebullitions of fun. The playful 

 spirit is universal among them ; even the solemn gaunt 

 heron, that stick of a bird, is capable of it; I was de- 

 lighted one day to witness three of these birds that 

 formed i)art of a big promiscuous gathering all at once 

 break out in a wild game of romps. A heron at play 

 differs from all other birds in its awkward ungraceful 

 motions and when running about appears hardly able 

 to keep its balance. 



The heron's moments of abandonment are rare and 

 he is rusty in consequence: the small shore birds on 

 the contrary relax often and are as easy and graceful 

 at play as any bird. One day when sitting on Wells 

 bank I had only two birds in sight, two ringed dotterels, 

 one quietly feeding on the nuid flat directly beneath 

 me, the second bird running along the margin of the 

 water forty or fifty yards away. By-and-by this one 

 rose and came flying to his companion, but instead of 

 alighting near him as I expected him to do he paused 

 in the air and hovered for three or four seconds directly 

 over him, at a height of a couple of feet, then dropped 

 plump down upon his back, almost throwing him to 

 the ground with the impact, after which he folded his 

 wings and stood quietly as if nothing had happened. 

 The other bird, recovering from the sudden shock threw 

 himself into a belligerent attitude, lowering his beak 

 and aiming it like a fighting ruff at his comrade, his 



