WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 155 



up the herbage by the roots and expose creeping 

 things. " Come," you may hear him say, modulat- 

 ing his tones to persuasion, " come quickly ; you 

 see it is a fresh piece of grass into which the cows 

 have been turned only a few hours since ; it was too 

 long for us before, but where they have eaten we can 

 get at the ground comfortably. The water-wagtail is 

 there already ; he always accompanies the herd, and 

 will have the pick and choice of everything. Or what 

 do you say to the meadow by the brook ? The mowers 

 have begun, and the swathe has fallen before their 

 scythes ; there are acres of ground there which we 

 could not touch for weeks ; now it is open, and the 

 place is teeming with good food. The finches are there, 

 as busy as may be between the swathes chaffinch 

 and greenfinch, hedge-sparrow, thrushes, and black- 

 birds too. Are you afraid ? Why, no one shoots in 

 the middle of a summer's day. Still irresolute ? (with 

 an angry shrillness). Will you or will you not ? (a 

 sharp, short whistle of interrogation). You are 

 simply idiots (finishing with a scream of abuse). I'm 

 off!" 



Seeing him start, the rsst follow him at once, jealous 

 lest he should enjoy these pleasures alone. As he flies 

 every few minutes he closes his wings, so that for half 

 a dozen yards he shoots like an arrow through the air ; 

 then rapidly uses them, and again closes and shoots 

 forward, all the time keeping a level straight course, 

 going direct to his object. 



The starlings that breed in the roof, though they 



