38 Wild Life in a Southern County 



with other birds. His song is but a few bars repeated, yet 

 it has a pleasing and soothing effect in the drowsy warmth 

 of summer. Yellowhammers haunt the cornfields princi- 

 pally, though they are not absent from the meadows. 



To this hedge the hill-magpie comes : some magpies 

 seem to keep almost entirely to the downs, while others 

 range the vale, though there is no apparent difference 

 between them. His peculiar uneven and, so to say, 

 flickering flight marks him at a distance as he jauntily 

 journeys along beside the slope. He visits every fir copse 

 and beech clump on his way, spending some time, too, in 

 and about the hawthorn hedge, which is a favourite spot. 

 Sometimes in the spring, while the corn is yet short and 

 green, if you glance carefully through an opening in the 

 bushes or round the side of the gateway, you may see him 

 busy on the ground. His restless excitable nature betrays 

 itself in every motion : he walks now to the right a couple 

 of yards, now to the left in a quick zigzag, so working 

 across the field towards you ; then with a long rush he 

 makes a lengthy traverse at the top of his speed, turns and 

 darts away again at right angles, and presently up goes 

 his tail and he throws his head down with a jerk of the 

 whole body as if he would thrust his beak deep into the 

 earth. This habit of searching the field apparently for 

 some favourite grub is evidence in his favour that he is 

 not so entirely guilty as he has been represented of inno- 

 cent blood : no bird could be approached in that way. All 

 is done in a jerky, nervous manner. As he turns sideways 

 the white feathers show with a flash above the green corn ; 

 another movement, and he looks all black. 



It is more difficult to get near the larger birds upon 

 the downs than in the meadows, because of the absence of 

 cover j the hedge here is so low, and the gateway open and 



