300 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



formed part of a big promiscuous gathering all at 

 once break out in a wild game of romps. A heron 

 at play differs from all other birds in its awkward 

 ungraceful motions and when running about appears 

 hardly able to keep its balance. 



The heron's moments of abandonment are rare and 

 he is rusty in consequence : the small shore birds 

 on the contrary relax often and are as easy and graceful 

 at play as any bird. One day when sitting on Wells 

 bank I had only two birds in sight, two ringed dotterels, 

 one quietly feeding on the mud flat directly beneath 

 me, the second bird running along the margin of the 

 water forty or fifty yards away. By-and-by this one 

 rose and came flying to his companion, but instead of 

 alighting near him as I expected him to do he paused 

 in the air and hovered for three or four seconds directly 

 over him, at a height of a couple of feet, then dropped 

 plump down upon his back, almost throwing him to 

 the ground with the impact, after which he folded 

 his wings and stood quietly as if nothing had happened. 

 The other bird, recovering from the sudden shock, 

 threw himself into a belligerent attitude, lowering his 

 beak and aiming it like a fighting ruff at his comrade, 

 his whole plumage raised and his wings and tail 

 feathers open ; but he did not attempt to inflict any 

 punishment ; after all that show of resentment at the 

 insult he contented himself by pouring out a series of 

 prolonged sharp scolding notes. These ended, the 

 two birds started quietly feeding together. 



In the promiscuous gatherings, one cannot but 



