284 WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



birds as .have been slain for the table during the 

 morning. Hen Linnets, Greenfinches, Larks, and 

 Chaffinches are mostly killed when caught. 



One of the grandest sights, from an ornithological 

 point of view, to be seen on the South Coast of 

 England in winter-time, is undoubtedly the immense 

 flights of Larks, Fieldfares, and Bedwings. These 

 great avian movements generally occur when snow 

 is on the ground and a sharp visitation of frost is 

 holding sway, but are not seen every year. The 

 birds all trend westwards in their flight, and present 

 an almost unbroken stream, which appears to be 

 composed literally of millions of individuals. 



During the few days of sharp wintry weather 

 which we experienced in January, 1897, there was an 

 exceptionally large flight, and whilst it was in pro- 

 gress the Brighton bird-catchers secured no less than 

 a thousand dozen Larks alone before twelve o'clock 

 one morning. 



Although this appears to be a heavy bag of 

 sweet singers, it is in reality but an insignificant 

 tithe upon the prodigious whole. The vast flocks 

 which visit the Downs in winter are believed by the 

 bird-catchers to come from the Continent. Whether 

 this be so or not it is pretty certain that there 

 is never any lack of Larks in England, and often 

 more than sufficient for the farmers of arable land, 

 whose early corn they damage when it is shooting. 



In Scotland, on the other hand, the bird is said 

 to have decreased in numbers during the last decade 

 or two, owing to the introduction of railways. 



Flight-netting is managed with one net only, 

 measuring twenty-five yards in length by seven feet 

 in depth. It is worked on the same principle as the 

 ordinary clap-nets already described, but is always 

 pulled over so as to meet the birds in their flight 



