322 WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



the top decays and is overgrown with mosses, so that 

 it loses the hard appearance of a wall. When the 

 sparrow who has waited till you are close to him sud- 

 denly starts, his wings, beating the air, make a sound 

 like the string of a bow pulled and released to try 

 it without an arrow. 



The dexterous way in which a bird helps itself to 

 thistle down is interesting to watch. The thistle has 

 no branch on which he can perch ; he must take it on 

 the wing. He flies straight to the head of the thistle, 

 stoops as it were, seizes the down, and passes on with 

 it in the bill to the nearest bough much in the same 

 way as some tribes of horsemen are related to pick up 

 a lance from the ground whilst going at full speed. 



Many birds twirl their " r's ; " others lisp, as the 

 nightingale, and instead of " sweet " say " thweet, 

 thweet." The finches call to each other, " Kywee, 

 kywee tweo thweet," which, whatever may be its 

 true translation, has a peculiarly soothing effect on 

 the ear. Swifts usually fly at a great height, and, being 

 scattered in the atmosphere, do not appear numerous ; 

 but sometimes during a stiff gale they descend and 

 concentrate over an open field, there wheeling round 

 and to and fro only just above the grass. Then the 

 ground looks quite black with them as they dart over 

 it. They exhibit no fear, but if you stand in the midst 

 come all round you so close that they might be knocked 

 down with a walking-stick if used quick enough. In 

 the air they do not look large, but when so near as 

 this they are seen to be of considerable size. The 



