CHAPTER XXXIII ANIMAL TRAITS 



the gloom ofevening, owing to its grey and shadowy colour. 

 So also is the colour of the wild duck, partridge, and other 

 birds who hatch on the ground, exactly similar in its shade 

 to the dry foliage amongst which they sit, so much so, that 

 even when they are pointed out to one by another person 

 it is very difficult to distinguish these birds. 



How curiously quick is the instinct of birds in finding 

 out their food. Where peas or other favourite grain is sown, 

 wood-pigeons and tame pigeons immediately congregate. 

 It is not easy to ascertain from whence the former come, 

 but the house-pigeons have often been known to arrive in 

 numbers on a new-sown field, the very morning after the 

 grain is laid down; although no pigeon-house from which 

 they could come exists within several miles of the place. 



Put down a handful or two of unthrashed oat straw in 

 almost any situation near the sea-coast where there are 

 wild ducks, and they are sure to find it out the first or 

 second night after it has been left there. 



There are many almost incredible stories of the acute- 

 ness of the raven's instinct in guiding it to the dead carcass 

 of any large anilpal, or even in leading it to the neighbour- 

 hood on the near approach of death. I myself have known 

 several instances of the raven finding out dead bodies of 

 animals in a very short space of time. One instance struck 

 me very much. I had wounded a stag on a Wednesday. 

 The following Friday I was crossing the hills at some dis- 

 tance from the place, but in the direction towards which 

 the deer had gone. Two ravens passed me,flying in a steady 

 straight course. Soon again two more flew by,and two others 

 followed, all coming from different directions, but making 

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