SIGNS OF AUTUMN 235 



the bird closely in order not to alarm it ; but when 

 lifting what I had come for I glanced at the bank, 

 and was surprised not to see the bird, which I was 

 sure had not run far up. Suddenly I saw it, 

 certainly not more than three yards distant. The 

 soil of the bank was rubbly, the turf having been 

 worn by walking, with the result that it was 

 greyish in parts, and there were many little hollows 

 in it. In one of the hollows the thrush had 

 attempted to secrete itself, not by turning its back 

 to me but by facing me, and squatting down so 

 that only its breast and the under part of the 

 throat were visible in fact, the head must have 

 been held almost vertically, for none of the upper 

 part could be seen at all. What could be seen of 

 the bird closely resembled in colour the surrounding 

 soil ; and it was perfectly obvious that the bird 

 had adopted this unusual attitude in order to 

 conceal itself. So greatly was it incommoded by 

 lack of room that its tail was pressed against the 

 back of the hollow, and thus raised almost to a 

 right angle with the lower part of the back. 

 Seeing what the bird was doing I, of course, made 

 a careful observation. 



