WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 305 



water-meadows, where the grass is long earlier in the 

 spring than elsewhere : there the first bennet pushes 

 up its green staff country people always note the 

 appearance of the first bennet and the first cuckoo- 

 flower opens. Several nests are made here on the 

 ground, in comparatively close contiguity. 



Upon approaching, the old bird flies up, circles round, 

 and comes so near as almost to be within reach, whist- 

 ling " pee-wit, pee-wit," over your head. He seems 

 to tumble in the air as if wounded and scarcely able 

 to fly ; and those who are not aware of his intention 

 may be tempted to pursue, thinking to catch him. 

 But so soon as you are leaving the nest behind he 

 mounts higher, and wheels off to a distant corner of 

 the field, uttering an ironical " pee-wit " as he goes. 

 If you neglect his invitation to catch him if you can, 

 and search for the nest or stand still, he gets greatly 

 excited and comes much closer, and in a few minutes 

 is joined by his mate, who also circles round ; while 

 several of their friends fly at a safer distance, whistling 

 in sympathy. 



Then you have a good opportunity of observing the 

 peculiar motion of their wings, which seem to strike 

 simply downwards and not also backwards, as with 

 other birds ; it is a quick, jerking movement, the wing 

 giving the impression of pausing the tenth of a second 

 at the finish of the stroke before it is lifted again. If 

 you pass on a short distance and make no effort to find 

 the nest, they recover confidence and descend. When 

 the peewit alights he runs along a few yards rapidly, 



