302 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



the meadows his daily hunting-ground. What he 

 was finding I could not discover as I never saw him 

 lift a vole and it was too late for insects. Anyhow, 

 he was often there and the other birds took not the 

 slightest notice of him ; even the smallest in the 

 company, the larks, pipits, and wagtails, knew him for 

 a harmless person. But one day while he was flying 

 about hovering at intervals and dropping to the earth, 

 a flock of about fifty starlings came flying to the mea- 

 dow and after circling round as if just going to alight 

 they all at once appeared to change their minds — or 

 mind — and mounting up again until they were about 

 twenty yards above the kestrel, began following his 

 movements, and when he hovered six or seven birds 

 detached themselves from the flock and dropped like 

 stones upon his back. He struck them angrily off and 

 flying a little distance away began searching again ; but 

 they followed and no sooner did he hover than down 

 again came half a dozen starlings on to his back. 



After this annoyance had been repeated five or 

 six times he flew away to another part of the meadow 

 and resumed his hunting there. Again the starlings 

 followed and repeated the former action each time he 

 hovered, until in anger and disgust he flew away out of 

 sight while the starlings, their object gained, dropped 

 down to the meadow and started feeding. The action 

 may have been inspired by a love of fun or a spirit 

 of mischief complicated with a sense of irritation at 

 the sight of a bird who was not of their society, whose 

 ways were not their ways — a feeling akin to that which 



