242 NATURE IN DOWNLAND 



grubs at the roots. When the grass freshly pulled up 

 is examined the leaves are invariably seen to be wilted 

 or of a sickly colour. It is indeed this faded appear- 

 ance of the grass that reveals the hiding-place of the 

 larva to the bird, and it may be safely said that he 

 never pulls a blade of grass without sufficient reason. 

 But the starlings pull up moss in most places on the 

 chance, I imagine, of finding insects concealed under 

 it. Skylarks winter on the grassy flats in considerable 

 numbers, and flocks of bramblings are met with every- 

 where. Flocks, too, of chaffinches, yellow-hammers, 

 com and reed buntings, and linnets and redpolls. 

 But the goldfinches are a very few solitary birds: 

 you will see perhaps two or three in a day's walk, and 

 you will probably see quite as many grey wagtails, or 

 even kingfishers. One day in the course of an eight 

 miles' walk I saw two rare birds — one goldfinch and 

 one great crested grebe. 



I have said in a former chapter that the dunnock, 

 or hedge-sparrow, breeds in the furze-bushes all over 

 the downs, but in the cold season forsakes that part 

 of the country. Doubtless many of those downland 

 birds spend the winter in the maritime district, where 

 they are extremely numerous in December and Janu- 

 ary. The downland wrens may have the same habits, 

 as they are just as abundant : as you walk the brisk 

 little brown bird flits out of the scanty hedges or from 

 the sides of the ditches at every few yards. 



Herons come to fish, and peewits are common. 



