NATURE NEAR LONDON 



crushed in a moment ; he came with such force as 

 to partly lose his balance. His prey was probably 

 a humble-bee which had settled on the dandelion. 

 The shrike's head resembles that of the eagle in 

 miniature. From his favourite branch he surveys 

 the grass, and in an instant pounces on his victim. 



There is a quiet lane leading out of one of the 

 roads which have been mentioned down into a 

 wooded hollow, where there are two ponds, one 

 on each side of the lane. Standing here one 

 morning in the early summer, suddenly a king- 

 fisher came shooting straight towards me, and 

 swerving a little passed within three yards ; his 

 blue wings, his ruddy front, the white streak be- 

 side his neck, and long bill were visible for a 

 moment ; then he was away, straight over the 

 meadows, till he cleared a distant hedge and disap- 

 peared. He was probably on his way to visit his 

 nest, for though living by the streams kingfishers 

 often have their nest a considerable way from 

 water. 



Two years had gone by since I saw one here 

 before, perched then on the trunk of a willow 

 which overhangs one of the ponds. After that 

 came the severe winters, and it seemed as if the 

 kingfishers were killed off, for they are often de- 

 stroyed by frost, so that the bird came unexpectedly 

 from the shadow of the trees, across the lane, and 

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