114 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



just then rose from the farther end of an adjoin- 

 ing stubble field, and we lost sight of him for a 

 short time as he dashed after the frightened birds 

 into a thick wood where they had hurried for pro- 

 tection. His pursuit, however, must have been 

 unsuccessful, for he soon reappeared, following 

 the dogs as they quartered the field, and evidently 

 keeping a watchful eye on their movements ; but 

 unfortunately, passing within an imprudent dis- 

 tance of my companion, was unrelentingly bag- 

 ged by him. I must, however, plead guilty to 

 having last summer shot a bird of this species 

 myself a few miles to the north-east of Petworth. 

 It was in a wild, unenclosed part of the country, 

 on the brow of a steep hill, covered with fern and 

 studded with spreading oaks and large holly trees. 

 I was admiring the unusual size of the latter, and 

 that beautiful provision of Nature, only to be seen 

 to advantage in full-grown hollies, by which the 

 foliage on the lower branches, which drooped 

 upon the ground, was protected by a spiny armour 

 from the half-starved flocks around the upper 

 leaves, which were out of their reach, being at the 

 same time quite destitute of prickles when a 

 turtle dove suddenly dashed by, closely pursued 

 by a hobby, which, from his black cheeks and red 

 thighs, I saw at a glance was a male bird in full 

 nuptial plumage. My first impulse was to stand 



