216 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



a charming village with stone cottages, as is usual in 

 that stone country, and a pretty little church standing 

 in the middle of a green and flowery churchyard. 

 Here there were several small yew trees, and no sooner 

 had I got inside the gate than out fluttered a goldfinch 

 in brilliant feather, emitting his sharpest alarm note. 

 Then from trees and bushes all round where they had 

 been concealed, more goldfinches fluttered forth, until 

 there were twelve, all loudly protesting against my 

 presence at that spot, flitting from tree to tree and 

 perching on the terminal twigs within three or four 

 yards of my head. Never had I seen goldfinches so 

 excited, so bold in mobbing a man : I could only 

 suppose that very few visitors came into that secluded 

 churchyard, where they were breeding, and doubtless 

 a stranger in the place was a much more alarming figure 

 to them than the parson or any of the native villagers 

 would have been. But it was a new and delightful 

 experience to find so many pairs breeding together, 

 making their nests within reach of a man's hand. 



Now as I stood there watching the birds I by chance 

 noticed that a man and his wife and little girl standing 

 at their cottage door hard by were intently and sus- 

 piciously watching me. On coming out I went over 

 to them and asked the man how long they had had 

 goldfinches breeding so abundantly in their church- 

 yard. A very few years ago I had been told that the 

 goldfinch had almost ceased to exist in Dorset. He 

 replied that it was true, that goldfinches had begun 

 to increase only during the last three Q,r four years 



