1 1 o Summer Studies of Birds and Books CHAP. 



from under my feet ; for they were sheltering just 

 beneath the meadow's lip, and I came upon them 

 quite unawares. When a turn in the bank gave me 

 a view ahead, I could see the turf spotted all over 

 with the brilliant yellow of their breasts ; for I was 

 walking with the wind, and they, of course, were 

 facing it, to avoid having their plumage uncomfort- 

 ably handled by the gusts. 



They were not afraid of me, and settled down 

 again directly I had passed on, so that my progress 

 was like that of a haymaking machine, which just 

 lifts the hay as it passes, and then lets it settle down 

 again after dallying a moment with the breeze. 

 These birds had clearly only just arrived after their 

 long journey from Africa, and I think they must 

 have come together and unpaired ; the greater num- 

 ber of them were males. 1 Their numbers diminished 

 regularly day by day, and at the same time I began to 

 see pairs in their usual places in the neighbourhood 

 evidently preparing to nest. In a few days they 

 were nearly all distributed over the country-side. 



Since then I have looked out for them every year, 

 and have always seen plenty in mid- April on this 

 same meadow, but never again such a wonderful 

 assemblage. The nearest approach to it was on 

 22nd April of this present year, 1894. I had walked 



1 I never, however, remember to have seen a newly-arrived 

 flock of this species without at least two or three females in it. 



