III. THE DABCHICKS. IO3 



and subtle little tricks and graces of move- 

 ment. 



8. The Sparrows, going on into Buntings 

 and Finches. 



9. The Pheasants (substituting this spe- 

 cific name for that of Scratchers). 



10. The Herons ; for the most part wading 

 and fishing creatures, but leading up to the 

 Stork, and including any long-legged birds 

 that run well, such as the Plovers, 



11. The DABCHICKS — the subject of our 

 present chapter. 



12. The Swans and Geese. 



13. The Ducks. 



14. The Gulls. 



Of these, I take the Dabchicks first, for 

 three sufficient reasons ; — that they give us 

 least trouble, — that they best show what I 

 mean by broad principles of grouping, — and 

 that they are the effective clasp, if not centre, 

 of all the series ; since they are the true link 

 between land and water birds. We will look 

 at one or two of their leading examples, before 

 saying more of their position in bird-society. 

 I shall give for the heading of each article, 

 the name which I propose for the bird in 



