204 BIRD WATCHING 



pieces that one throws are not noticed, as they lie 

 amongst the straw, so readily as one would have sup- 

 posed, and often birds will pass quite near to, or even 

 almost touch them, without seeing them or, at least, 

 discovering what they are. A whole Osborne biscuit, 

 upon one occasion, was an object of suspicion. Several 

 chaffinches came up as though to peck at it, but their 

 courage failed them at the last moment, and it was 

 never touched the whole time I was there. Of course, 

 when larger and more wary birds come to the stack, 

 one must keep quite still and not play any tricks like 

 these, if one wishes them to stay. A hen blackbird 

 is now feeding on the outskirts of the heap. She will 

 not permit any small birds to be near her, but drives 

 them all off if they come within a certain distance, so 

 that she is soon in the centre of a little space which 

 she has all to herself. Into this a starling flies down 

 and seems at first inclined to meet the blackbird on 

 equal terms, for, of course, the two instantly recognise 

 each other as rivals, and cross swords as by mutual 

 desire. But even in the first encounter the starling 

 has to give way, and then beats a series of retreats 

 before the other's sprightly little rushes, till at length, 

 being left no peace, he has to fly away. Later, some 

 half-dozen starlings come down together almost on 

 the top of the heap, and feed in just the same way 

 as the small birds they alight amongst. Soon there 

 is a combat between two of these. Both keep spring- 

 ing from the ground, going up again the instant they 

 alight, and each trying, as it seems, to jump above 

 the other, whether to avoid pecks delivered or the 

 better to deliver them. They never jump quite at 

 the same time, but always one goes up as the other 



