BIRDS IN CORNISH VILLAGE 271 



the cows were not there, on account of the be- 

 haviour of one of them, a young animal who had 

 not yet been sobered by having a calf of her own. 

 She was a frivolous young thing and when tired 

 of feeding, she would start teasing the old cows, 

 pushing them with her horns, then flinging up her 

 hind legs to challenge them to a romp. The 

 sight of a crowd of birds under my window would 

 bring her at a gallop to the spot to find out what 

 all the fuss was about, and the birds would be 

 driven off. 



One morning I was at my window when the 

 field was empty of bird and beast life with the 

 exception of a solitary old rook, a big bird who 

 was a constant attendant and so much bigger than 

 most of the rooks that I had come to know it 

 well. By and by the young cow walked into the 

 field by herself and, after gazing all round as if 

 surprised at finding the place so lifeless, she 

 caught sight of and fixed her eyes on the old rook 

 working at the turf some fifty or sixty yards 

 away. Presently she began walking towards it, 

 and when within about tr^^enty yards put her head 

 down and charged it. The rook paid no atten- 

 tion until she was almost on it, then rose up, 



