Birds by Land and Sea 



I have also known swallows to follow vessels outward 

 bound from Spain and Portugal for the West Indies 

 and Brazil, or to appear suddenly at sea in companies 

 of a few birds, perching about the boat. 



After having been absent during the summer 

 months, the kestrel reappeared in our fields on the 

 6th of September. As will appear in the sequel, 

 this bird remained with us until the keen frosts in 

 November, then disappeared until February of the 

 following year, when a pair of these hawks arrived. 

 From that time kestrels continued with us until the 

 third week in April, after which they vanished com- 

 pletely during the breeding season, reappearing again 

 at the time this book closes. Whilst with us the 

 kestrel shows itself freely, and I seldom go into the 

 fields at such times without meeting it. The time 

 when it may confidently be looked for is when there 

 is a high wind running ; and it is then that one 

 recognizes the appropriateness of the name of " wind- 

 hover," by which this bird is known in some parts 

 of the country. With us the kestrel haunts particu- 

 larly the open grass lands bordering the river Mersey, 

 and may there be seen poised conspicuously in the 

 air with head to windward, now hovering without 

 advancing, now motionlessly sustained on level wings. 

 It advances by a series of semicircles, at the com- 

 pletion of each of which it invariably heads up again 

 to the wind, and resumes its stationary hovering or 

 floating. At times it drops suddenly to earth, but 

 stopping short of the ground, soars up again, as if 



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