300 HAMPSHIRE DAYS 



we were teaching him nothing. But our fears were 

 idle. The seven wild blackbirds that had formed a 

 habit of coming to share his food were all young birds, 

 and as time went on and the hedge fruit began to ripen, 

 we noticed that they kept more and more together. 

 Whenever one was observed to fly straight away to 

 some distance, in a few moments another would follow, 

 then another ; and presently it would be seen that they 

 were all making their way to some spot in the valley, 

 or to the woods on the other side. After several hours' 

 absence they would all reappear on the lawn, or near it, 

 at the same time, showing that they had been together 

 throughout the day and had returned in company. 

 After observing them in their comings and goings for 

 several weeks, I felt convinced that this species has in 

 it the remains of a gregarious instinct which affects the 

 young birds. 



Our bird, as a member of this little company, must 

 have quickly picked up from the others all that it was 

 necessary for him to know, and at the last it was plain 

 to us from his behaviour at the cottage that he was 

 doing very well for himself. He was often absent most 

 of the day with the others, and on his return late in the 

 afternoon he would pick over the good things placed 

 for him in a leisurely way, selecting a morsel here and 

 there, and eating more out of compliment to us, as it 

 seemed, than because he was hungry. But up to the 

 very last, when he had grown as hardy and strong on 

 the wing as any of his wild companions, he kept up his 



