62 



Bird Notes and News 



high in the air, sometimes near the ground, 

 but the thrusting out of the foot to shoAv the 

 prize and the method of dropping it from the 

 cock to the hen were always the same. When 

 she had got it she planed down as I first 

 thought to the nest, but I was wrong, for 

 after waiting for five minutes, during which 

 time she no doubt ate her dinner, apparently 

 "by a pool of water, in order to wash her beak 

 and feet, she rose again, and after several 

 evolutions lit in the marsh away from the 

 water. 



" Very, very carefully we marked the spot 

 by this twig, that yellow flower, and other 

 minute details. We had walked to within 

 10 yards when she rose in fright and noisy 

 rage from her nest of four eggs in the grass, 

 and while we looked at them she never 

 ceased her cries, and circled continuously 

 above us. The nest of flattened blades of 

 grass and uninteresting-looking eggs had an 

 artificial appearance ; they reminded me of 

 a clutch of Easter eggs T was once unfortunate 

 enough to find in a haycock at a children's 

 party, to the undoing of my stomach, for 

 they were bad. There are plenty of such 

 nests to be seen at the proper season in con- 

 fectioners' shop windows. The bird re- 

 turned in circles to the nest before we were 

 300 yards away, and I saw the whole process 

 of the feeding of the hen and also the nest 

 on the following evening. These Harriers 

 are apparently very punctual at meals, for 

 this bird was fed at 5.25 to a minute on each 

 of the three evenings, and I would advise 

 anyone in search of a nest to post himself, 

 with a good glass, at 5.15 at an advantageous 

 spot not too near where he believes the nest 

 to be. I say not too near, because the cock 

 is much more shy, though less bad-tempered, 

 than the hen. Heaven grant that no egg- 

 clutcher benefits by this advice ! " 



SNIPE AND ROOK. 



From France also " H. T. C. " writes to the 



Scotsman (February 3rd, 1917). 



" Not far from our horse lines is a small 

 wood, and through it runs a shallow streamlet. 

 In ordinary times this streamlet does not 

 find favour with the birds, but now that the 

 ground is frozen hard in every direction, 

 they congregate along its course. The sides 

 are very muddy, churned up by the trampling 



of horses, and the leaves cluster thickly over 

 every inch of ground or are swirled down- 

 wards by the streamlet. Although shell 

 holes not a dozen paces from the streamlet 

 are frozen hard, the ice does not seem to 

 encroach upon the stream's muddy banks. 

 To-day a pair of Jack Snipe are sheltering 

 under a tiny tuft of withered grass. They 

 stand so silentl}^ still that it is difficult to 

 distinguish them, except by the ghnt of their 

 bright eyes. A horse comes down to the 

 edge of the stream, and treads almost upon 

 the watching birds, but they do not move. 

 When I step aside, and take refuge behind 

 a tree trunk they move slowly out on to the 

 mud, and, dancing a weird, little, hopping 

 step, thej^ apparently startle the aquatic 

 insects, for immediately the long bill is 

 probed into the jdelding mud, and something 

 too minute to see is captured. Suddenly 

 they catch sight of me hiding behind the 

 tree trunk, and fly off, but in a few minutes 

 are back again trampling and catching 

 insects as before. 



"The Rooks love bathing on frosty days, 

 and with ice all around them they will 

 splash and duck their heads and shoulders 

 in the cold water, and apparently enjoy the 

 experience. Yesterday several were bathing 

 in a stream where the ice had been broken 

 by some passing vehicle. All to-day, al- 

 though an icy wind has been blowing, they 

 have been " weaving " as they pass up and 

 down on their long flights. I have never 

 been able to imderstand the reason for this 

 manosuvre, but it is interesting to watch 

 the vast flocks of the Rooks collect and 

 make the most wonderful evolutions in the 

 air. Sometimes their noisy clamour is very 

 pronounced, and to-day they seem to be par- 

 ticularly excited. There is one of their 

 manoeu\rres which I camiot understand. 

 On very stormy days, when the wind is 

 blowing fiercely they rise from a field in our 

 rear and fly across the roadway, each carry- 

 ing in its beak a round object which looks 

 hke a pebble. They settle down in the next 

 open space, and though I have frequently 

 tried to investigate the matter, I cannot 

 discover what it is they carry across. One 

 of the gumiers declares that it is a stone, and 

 is used as baUast. Frequently a Rook will 

 pick up a stick, although it is long past nest 

 building time, and carry it for some distance, 

 executing a sort of game in the air, dropping 



