306 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



dred yards past me a few redshanks rose from the 

 edge of the creek and, after wheeling round once or 

 twice, dropped down again in the same place, and no 

 sooner had they alighted than the goose turned aside 

 from his course and, flying straight to them, pitched 

 on the ground at their side. That is just how a bird 

 of social disposition will always act when forsaken by 

 his fellows and in distress : it will try to get with 

 others, however unlike its own species they may be — 

 even a goose with redshanks ; and this, too, in a most 

 dangerous place for a goose to delay in, where gunners 

 are accustomed to hide in the creeks. It was evident 

 that he was ill at ease and troubled at my presence, as 

 after alighting he continued standing erect with head 

 towards me. There he remained with the red- 

 shanks for full fifteen minutes, but he had not been 

 more than two minutes on the spot before a passing 

 hooded crow dropped down close to and began walking 

 round him. The crow will not attack a wounded 

 goose, even when badly wounded, but he knows 

 when a bird is in trouble and he must satisfy his in- 

 quisitive nature by looking closely at him to find out 

 how bad he really is. The goose, too, knows exactly 

 what the crow's life and mind is, and no doubt de- 

 spises him. I watched them intently, and every time 

 the crow came within a couple of feet of him the goose 

 bent down and shot out his snake-like head and neck 

 at him. If my binocular had been able to catch the 

 sound as well as the sight, it would have conveyed to 

 me, too, the angry snake-like hiss which accompanied 



