CHAPTER IV 

 WHEATEARS 



As you walk along the warrens, where the yellow silver- 

 weed blooms at the edge of the sand-dunes, you may in early 

 spring come upon the first pair of wheatears as they flitter 

 across the marram green hills and show their white rump- 

 bands ; for upon their arrival across the grey sea they 

 frequent the warrens at first it is warmer there, and they 

 can feed upon the early flies and sand-bred insects. And 

 this practice of theirs has earned them the nickname of 

 " coney-suckers," their common name amongst the Broads- 

 men, for they say these birds enter the " rabbit eyes " in the 

 dunes and suck the milch-does. 



One spring, whilst walking along the crest of the sandhills, 

 amongst clumps of honeysuckle, juicy oak saplings, brakes 

 of bramble, blackthorn, bracken, and flowering gorse for 

 such is the lean flora that flourishes amongst the marram's 

 fibrous roots - I suddenly saw two birds fly up before 

 me, and flying on, alight on the sand, standing very up- 

 rightly, and looking very black and white against the 

 sandy background. Sinking into the soft warm marram, 

 I watched them feeding on insects, working like a robin, 

 though more eagerly, and cheeping like a titlark. Every 

 now and then they would pause, and, standing upright, look 

 as elegant as any courtly lady. Then they flitted on to a 

 spray of gorse, and so I followed them to the round steeple 

 that stands without the sandy fortalice. 



I knew them from the first for wheatears, but after close 

 shadowing and careful observation, my glasses proved them 



