236 WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



descend and rest over that particular spot. Suddenly 

 the two ends of the extended black bar contract, and 

 the middle swoops down in the shape of an inverted 

 cone, much resembling a waterspout, and in a few 

 seconds the cloud pours itself into the trees. Another 

 minute and a black streak shoots upwards, spreads like 

 smoke, parts in two, and wheels round back into the 

 firs again. 



On approaching it this apparent cloud is found to 

 consist of thousands of starlings, the noise of whose 

 calling to each other is indescribable : the country 

 folk call it a " charm," meaning a noise made up of 

 innumerable lesser sounds, each interfering with the 

 other. The vastness of these flocks is hardly credible 

 until seen ; in winter the bare trees on which they 

 alight become suddenly quite black. Once or twice in 

 the summer starlings may be observed hawking to and 

 fro high in the air, as if imitating the swallows in an 

 awkward manner. Probably some favourite insect is 

 then on the wing, and they resort to this unwonted 

 method to capture it. 



Beyond the fir trees the copse runs up into a corner, 

 where hawthorn bushes, brier, and bramble succeed to 

 the ash stoles, and are in turn bordered by some width 

 of furze and brake fern. When this fern is young and 

 fresh the sunshine glistens on its glossy green fronds, 

 but on coming nearer the sheen disappears. On a very 

 hot, sultry day towards the end of summer there is 

 occasionally a peculiar snapping sound to be heard in 

 the furze, as if some part of the plant, perhaps the 



