20 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



their parents, and during the winter in 

 the same locality as their parents, and 

 now with the approach of warmer weather, 

 and above all the ever lengthening sun- 

 light, the birds were beginning to pair. 

 At the end of February twenty birds 

 gathered together ; several families were 

 here, and they circled round and round 

 over the summit of a high cliff. For 

 about twenty minutes they did this, then 

 one and another settled on the rocks. 

 But up they all went again, this time 

 higher until they were mere specks, and 

 it was a wonderful flight this. As the 

 birds flew out from the rocks, they sailed 

 out with outspread wings, and uttered 

 their loud musical " mew," then up into 

 the sky they went, with hardly a visible 

 movement of their wings. Some went in 

 one direction, a few in the other ; some 

 sailed out over the valley, but all climbed 

 the air, and seemed to get nearer to one 

 another as they reached the highest point. 



