298 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



like that many and many a time, and have thought 

 to myself, they're just like a lot o' children." 



I doubt if any one who has observed birds in com- 

 pany closely, especially when they have come together, 

 as in the case of the hooded crows, just for recreation 

 has not occasionally had this same thought — just like 

 a lot of little children ! 



It is, as I remarked in the chapter on the marsh 

 warbler, a delightful experience to a field naturalist 

 to sit at ease, binocular in hand, at a proper distance 

 from a company of birds and watch them at their little 

 games. The right distance varies according to the 

 species and the nature of the ground ; it should always 

 be outside the danger limit, so that if they see the 

 spectator they do not heed him and are practically 

 unconscious of his presence. Whatever that distance 

 may be a nine to twelve prismatic glass will bring 

 them within a dozen yards of his vision. 



This delight was mine almost every day at the 

 spots where the birds were accustomed to congregate 

 on the meadows and by the sea. I could watch them 

 by the hour and was never disappointed, even when 

 there was nothing particular to see, or at all events 

 nothing worth noting down. The more the species in 

 a gathering the greater the interest one takes in watch- 

 ing them, on account of the marked difference in dis- 

 position they exhibit ; but, speaking of the bird-life 

 of the meadows and shore, they have this in common, 

 that they all appear to take a certain pleasure in each 

 other's company. I notice, for instance, that if a pair 



