Downs and Dungeons \ 1 1 



balancing himself in the breeze, a fine bird, 

 with black head and russet breast. Swallows 

 tin ted about catching the flies that haunted the 

 gorse-bloom ; and our own people, the Linnets, 

 were dancing about in the air and twittering their 

 song, or sitting bolt upright on the gorse over 

 their nests, singing a few sweet notes as the 

 fancy took them. We could tell them from all 

 the others by the way they perched, and we tried 

 to do it ourselves. I would show you myself 

 how a Linnet perches when it's free, but I hardly 

 have the strength, and I might knock my 

 head against these wires." 



" Don't trouble about it," said the Canary ; 

 " it's no doubt a vulgar pastime, which would not 

 be appreciated in educated society. Go on; I'm 

 not much bored yet anything will do that will 

 make you sing." 



"I'll get on," said the Linnet; "but I have 

 never felt such pain as in telling you of those 

 happy times. We grew up, and in the later 

 summer we joined a great gathering of our 

 people from other Downs, and went down to the 

 sea-side. There were thousands of us together, 



