LETTER XXV 



Disregard of Birds to Trains on Railways Kingfisher Kestrel 

 Bullocks entering Slaughter-house The Moorings of Plants 

 considered. 



2yd November 1889. 



DEAR MARCO On my return from town 

 yesterday I saw two instances of the disre- 

 gard that birds pay to the passing of trains. 

 Between Moulsford and Wallingford I saw 

 a kingfisher perched on a small rail over a 

 brook which ran under the line, scarcely a 

 foot or two from the base of the low em- 

 bankment, and it remained perfectly unmoved 

 whilst the train passed. I saw also a kestrel- 

 hawk, almost immediately afterwards, flying 

 along low to the ground, so close to the 

 edge of the embankment that I could plainly 

 see the beautiful brown and barred marks on 

 the back and wings as I looked down on it ; 



