32 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



To the naturalist, to any bird-lover in fact, a large 

 gathering of big birds is, of all sights, the most ex- 

 hilarating, especially in this country where the big 

 birds have been diligently weeded out until few are 

 left. At Wells I had two matters in my mind to 

 enhance the pleasure experienced. One was in the 

 thought of the birds' striking intelligence, as shown 

 by their changed demeanour during their daily visits 

 to that camping-spot on the marsh where they relax 

 their extreme wildness. It is often borne in on me 

 in observing birds that the position of a species or 

 family in the scale of nature from the point of view of 

 the anatomist and evolutionist is not a criterion of 

 its intelligence. Thus the Anatidae, or ducks, which 

 in any natural classification would be placed far below 

 the crows and parrots, are mentally equal to the 

 highest of the bird order. It was purely the intelli- 

 gence of these geese which made it possible for me to 

 observe them so nearly at that spot, which was no 

 sand-bar with the protecting sea all round it, but a 

 small space in the very midst of the enemies' country. 

 It gave me even a higher pleasure to think that 

 there are still a few great landowners in England, like 

 the present and the late Lord Leicester, who do not 

 look on our noble bird life as something to be des- 

 troyed for sport, or in the interests of sport, until it 

 has been wiped out of existence. It is not only the 

 geese which receive protection here. Ducks in thou- 

 sands are accustomed to winter in the park at Holkham. 

 All breeding species, from the beautiful sheldrake to 



