BY THE SIDE OF THE WATERS 



349 



left by a prowling otter, for flesh as well as fish do not come 

 amiss to him when hard pressed by hunger. Nor are rooks 

 particular when food is scarce. A Norfolk naturalist once 

 came across a score of rooks busily at work on the carcase of 

 a dead sheep, tearing like so many vultures. 



The land birds too are hard pressed. The fieldfare finds 

 his hawthorn berries sadly diminishing, the redwings fluff up 

 their feathers to keep their starved little bodies warm, and 

 soon perish in numbers 

 if the snow and frost 

 are slow to go ; larks 

 leave the buried wheat- 

 fields and sneak into the 

 market gardens to raid 

 the cabbage patches, 

 and the wood-pigeons 

 skulk for provender 

 where they are by no 

 means desired. 



OTTER 



A sudden rush of 

 winter may disturb and distress the whole population of 

 seaside birds. From Scottish lochs and Norwegian fiords 

 are driven great hosts along the eastern seaboard of 

 England. On one such occasion as many as seventy Brent 

 geese dashing south were counted in a solid flock. Little 

 auks, driven inland, wearied and hungered, fell helplessly in 

 the pools and meadows, numbers being picked up a little later 

 on dying and dead. One of the Hickling keepers reported 

 that on one single morning he observed no fewer than fifty 

 sheklucks, eleven goosanders, two black-throated divers, a 

 red-throated diver, two smews, one being that very rare 

 visitor, an adult male bird, besides golden-eyes, curlews, 

 dunlins, ringed plovers, and sanderlings. A flock of long- 



