gai A LONG DAY WITH THE BIRDS 
larder. Among its victims are the hedge- 
sparrow, robin, and the tits, and various 
fledglings. The bird is fitted for this method 
of feeding by its hooked strong beak, and a 
well-formed, muscular body. It is not a 
very uncommon bird, and may often be seen 
near London’ “ It’ ‘trequents “places? witere 
it can get its prey easiest, so it chooses open 
woods and commons. It watches for its 
victims perched on some convenient bough. 
It devours them at once or stores them 
up in its “larder.” ““This “cannibal plucks 
birds before eating them, and any indigest- 
ible portions are thrown up as pellets (like 
the owl and kingfisher). The length of the 
butcher bird is about five and a half inches; 
the upper parts are brown, the under parts 
white, the sides red. The hen has not got the 
grey patch on the back. It is migratory, 
leaving us in September or October. 
And now the failing light warned us that 
we had to be getting homewards. As the 
train sped on, the sun setting orange-red in 
a cloudless sky of purple-gold (thus tinted 
