96 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



summer note ; nor do they rise high at this season, but 

 after fluttering upwards a distance of forty of fifty 

 yards drop again to earth. 



Seawards I had for horizon the low ridge of the 

 sandhills overgrown with coarse grey-green grass, and 

 when on the ridge itself I looked over a vast stretch of 

 yellowish-brown sand ; for it was low tide, wdth the 

 sea visible as a white line of foam and the gleam of 

 water more than a mile away. Here on the sandy 

 ridge there is an old sea-ruined coastguard station, and, 

 coming to it, I sat down on a pile of brushwood at the 

 side of the half-fallen buildings, and after I had been 

 there two or three minutes a bird fluttered up from the 

 grass close to my feet and perched on the wood three 

 or four yards from me. A redwing ! A tired traveller 

 from the north, he had no doubt arrived at that spot 

 during the night, and was waiting to recover from his 

 great fatigue before continuing his journey inland. 

 He must have been very tired ro remain by himself 

 in such beautiful weather at that spot, when, close by 

 on the further side of the salt grey marsh, the green 

 wooded country, blue in the haze, was so plainly 

 visible. For the redwing is a most sociable bird, and 

 so long as his wings can bear him up he cannot endure 

 to be left behind. Furthermore, he is exceedingly 

 shy of the human form, especially when he first arrives 

 on our shores ; yet here was this shy bird, alone and 

 sitting very quietly, within three or four yards of me ! 

 Still, it was evident that he was a little troubled at 

 my presence, a little suspicious, from the way he eyed 



