MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE. 63 



waiting:, if possible, to kill a heron ; but now this bird may be seen 

 unmolested in my meadows, and two pairs built their nests and 

 reared their young close b}', at Daylesford, where the keeper tells 

 me he hopes they will remain and form a heronry. At the same 

 time, I can quite sympathise with anglers who object to herons, for 

 a few years ago I dug a small pond, about fifty yards in circum- 

 ference, with an island in the midst, and through it a stream of 

 water ran ; here I made a stevv^ to keep gudgeons handy, when I 

 required them for bait. There must have been at least a hundred 

 in the pond up to a short time ago, and then the herons found it 

 out, with the result that last time I went there for bait, every fish 

 was gone. 



In former days many birds were killed by flying against the 

 telegraph wires, which ran alongside the railway through my farm, 

 and once during a deep snow, mj' father asked me to shoot some 

 partridges for certain festivities which he was giving. In the first 

 field I entered, a covey rose, and on crossing the railway three birds 

 flew against the wires and were killed, whilst a fourth settled and 

 ran beneath the snow as though to hide, and on going up I caught 

 it. I at once returned home and presented my father with two 

 brace of partridges and a riddle, which he failed to answer till I told 

 him what had happened. 



Whilst on the subject of birds, I must not forget that we may 

 have too much even of a good thing, and so I will conclude with a 

 brief sketch of the birds which look on my garden as their own. 

 In the Spring almost every bush and tree contains a nest. The 

 Sparrows are on the alert directly the migrants come, and they 

 proclaim a temporary armistice among themselves, after the fashion 

 of the Afghans, in order to attack the new arrivals, for whose 

 accommodation I have put up comfortable, dry, unfurnished apart- 

 ments, with the great advantage that they are all rent free. The 

 Redstarts put in an appearance among the first which come, and 

 then the sparrows edge up and insult them in every way, evidently 

 sneering, and demanding information why they have invaded a 



