22 WILD LIFE ON A NORFOLK ESTUARY 



broad- arrowed claw-marks part of the way he too had been 

 searching for a rat, but as vainly. The thinner trail of a lark, 

 and the still finer one of a pipit, were also visible. 



On the ice, a little way from the walls, some crow-marks 

 interested me much more greatly. One spot was dotted with 

 tiny grey feathers, and leading up to them were the imprints 

 of a " hoodie's " feet. A poor little dunlin, " wounded unto 

 death," had flown hither in its death-agony from among a 

 host of its companions, slain by a merciless gunshot. Its 

 life's blood ebbed out, staining the snowy patch with bright 

 crimson ; it had died alone on the icy carpet, and the little 

 form had stretched wings and legs, and stiffened directly. 

 Not long did it lie there, for a scouting Kentish crow, prowl- 

 ing around for a breakfast, espied the dead bird ; those claw- 

 printss to the right show the spot where he alighted. He 

 walked half a dozen paces, then a confused trampling tells us 

 how he set to work with claws and mandibles, and tore to 

 pieces the poor little sandpiper. Bill and foot and wing are 

 all devoured, save the long flight feathers which he hurriedly 

 pulled out, and a few smaller ones, dropped in his eager haste, 

 for a brother crow may have been ready to rob him ; these 

 are all the evidences left of an avine tragedy. Trending a 

 little way from the spot are other footmarks of the crow, 

 leading to where the foul bird took to wing again. 



A little further on I noticed more bloodstains, and a 

 number of other footprints ; but, in this instance, not a 

 feather remained. How was this? Closer attention con- 

 vinced me that more than one "hoodie" came to claim the 

 victim. There were ample proofs that there were three. It 

 was very evident too, that, disturbed at his meal almost as soon 

 as he had discovered it, crow number one had snatched up his 

 prize and hurried away with it, hoping to devour it alone. 

 Among the wall-flints I found a fowl ; its bones had been 

 picked clean, and feathers lay scattered about on the stones 

 among which stricken pochard and wigeon like to hide when 

 fatally wounded. It had evidently been dragged out, and the 

 wingbones alone remained feathered ; even the muscular por- 

 tions of the wings had been dragged off and swallowed, and 

 by some well-defined teeth-marks it was easy to see that the 

 rats had gnawed off what little the careful crows had over- 

 looked. 



