MAGPIE FIELDS 



the stubble the magpies remained till I could watch 

 them no longer. 



A short time afterwards, on the iyth of Septem- 

 ber, looking over the gateway of an adjacent field 

 which had been wheat, then only recently carried, 

 a pheasant suddenly appeared rising up out of the 

 stubble ; and then a second, and a third and fourth. 

 So tall were the weeds that, in a crouching pos- 

 ture, at the first glance they were not visible ; 

 then as they fed, stretching their necks out, only 

 the top of their backs could be seen. Presently 

 some more raised their heads in another part of 

 the field, then two more on the left side, and one 

 under an oak by the hedge, till seventeen were 

 counted. 



These seventeen pheasants were evidently all 

 young birds, which had wandered from covers, 

 some distance, too, for there is no preserve within 

 a mile at least. Seven or eight came near each 

 other, forming a flock, but just out of gunshot 

 from the road. They were all extremely busy 

 feeding in the stubble. Next day half a dozen or 

 so still remained, but the rest had scattered; some 

 had gone across to an acre of barley yet standing 

 in a corner; some had followed the dropping 

 acorns along the hedge into another piece of 

 stubble ; others went into a breadth of turnips. 



Day by day their numbers diminished as they 

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