MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS 



81 



and, wrapping himself in his blanket as the sun 

 went down behind the hill of the sea, had waived 

 for the winnowing of the small mysterious wings. 



Just to sleep in such a bed would be enough. TV) 

 lie down far up on the ragged peak of this wild sea 

 rock, with the break and swash of the waves coming 

 up from far beneath you, with the wide sea-wind 

 coming in, and the dusk spreading down, and the 

 wild sea-birds murmuring in their strange tongues all 

 about you it would be enough just to turn one's 

 face to the lonely sky in such a spot and listen. But 

 how much more to hear suddenly, among all these 

 strange sounds, the swift fanning of wings to feel 

 them close above your face and to see in the dim 

 dusk wavering shadowy forms, like a troop of long- 

 winged bats, hovering over the slope and chittering 

 in a rapid, unbirdlike talk, as if afraid the very dark 

 might hear them ! 



That was what I wanted so much to hear and to 

 see. For down in a little burrow, in the accumulated ] 

 earth and guano of the top, under each of these 

 hovering shadows, would be another shadow, wait- 

 ing to hear the beating of the wings and the chitter 

 above ; and I wanted to see the mate in the burrow 

 come out and greet the mate that had been all day 

 upon the sea. 



This petrel digs itself a little burrow and lays one 

 egg. The burrow might hold both birds at once, 

 but one seldom finds two birds in the burrow to- 



