192 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



youngsters, feeding him upon young birds, water-rats, and 

 dead rats, all of which he ate greedily; and if he tried to 

 take a bit of food from his yellow clutch, the little " varmin " 

 would turn upon his back and fight with his feet, shrieking 

 all the time. At last he got so tame that he would fly 

 shrieking down the road to meet his master, and welcome 

 him home. 



During the nesting season they are scarce on the marshes, 

 and I have passed some days without seeing a bird ; but 

 directly the young leave the nest the family takes to the 

 marshes, often following a solitary marsh-mower as he 

 sweeps down the coarse rushes. A family of six once kept 

 near one mower for more than a week, watching the marsh 

 as he cut the crop, for at times he was able to kill a mouse 

 or two, and thoughtfully laid them on a heap of stuff: 

 whence they were sure to come and take them. And when 

 the hot July sun had sunk to rest and the mists began to 

 rise from the river, they sought some heap of stuff near by, 

 where they roosted for the night; indeed, half-loads of litter 

 are a favourite roosting-place, as are lonely posts later in 

 the season, when the litter is all poled. And so on, from 

 season to season, the busy kestrel kills off the vermin and 

 works for the farmer, who is often thoughtless enough to 

 shoot him : indeed, this hawk should be carefully protected. 



