ADVENTURES AMONG 

 BIRDS 



CHAPTER I 



The Book : an Apology 



The book-buyer in search of something to read before 

 making his purchase as a rule opens a book and glances 

 at a few lines on the first page, just to get the flavour of 

 it and find out whether or not it suits his palate. The 

 title, we must presume, has already attracted him as 

 indicating a subject which interests him. This habit 

 of his gives me the opportunity of warning him at the 

 very outset that he will find here no adventures of a 

 wild-fowler, if that's what he is seeking ; no thrilling 

 records of long nights passed in a punt, with a north 

 wind blowing and freezing him to the marrow in spite 

 of his thick woollen clothing and long boots and oil- 

 skins, and the glorious conclusion of the adventure 

 when he happily succeeds in sending a thousand 

 pellets of burning lead into an innumerable multitude 

 of mallard, widgeon, teal, pochard, and pintail ; how 

 for several successive winters he repeated the opera- 

 tion until the persecuted fowl began to diminish so 

 I 



