The Mar ism as. 25 



species of birds. To describe one such flock, let me take 

 a page from my notebook written on the spot. 



A dunlin,* so near me that I could have touched it with 

 my gun, was tugging vigorously at a monstrous worm 

 which refuged to be * -drawn," and by his brother's side 

 was another dunlin, looking on with interest and anxiety. 

 Just near them were a number of their miniature cousins 

 the little stints,! while a little further off were curlew 

 sandpipers, J with the rich red breasts of their summer 

 plumage, and to and fro, and in and out amongst them, 

 ran those active little birds the ringed plover§ and the 

 Kentish plover. II We moved on slightly to examine the 

 rest of the birds, when with a sudden gasp a dunlin spied 

 us and the whole flock flew off. Just at that moment we 

 heard a swish of wings, and a peregrinell swept past us. 

 In another moment he had caught up our little friends, 

 and singling one out dashed straight at it, and seized it 

 in his powerful grip. The falcon appeared to take no 

 notice of us, but sailed round and settled upon the dry 

 mud half a mile away. While one of us went off to stalk, 

 the other waited and watched. It was a fine sight to see 

 the noble bird standing on his prey and tearing at it, but 

 presently he left his quarry and rose into the air, only to 

 fall back upon the mud dead. We gazed upon them — 

 slayer and slain — the one a perfect male peregrine, with 

 his barred breast, glorious blue-grey back, and the other a 

 poor little Kentish plover, already torn and headless. 



* Tringa alpina. f Tringa minuta. 



X Tringa suharquarta. § Aegialitis hiaticula. 



II Aegialitis cantiana. % Falco peregrinus. 



