BIRDS AND MAN 39 



for ever.-^The fox must always be feared and de- 

 tested ; his disposition, like his sharp nose and red 

 coat, is unchangeable ; so, too, with the cat, stoat, 

 weasel, etc. On the other hand, in the presence of 

 herbivorous mammals, birds show no sign of sus- 

 picion ; they know that all these various creatures 

 are absolutely harmless, from the big formidable- 

 looking bull and roaring stag, to the mild- eyed, 

 timorous hare and rabbit. It is common to see 

 wagtails and other species attending cattle in the 

 pastures, and keeping close to their noses, on the 

 look-out for the small insects driven from hiding in 

 the grass. Daws and starlings search the backs of 

 cattle and sheep for ticks and other parasites, and 

 it is plain that their visits are welcome. Here a 

 joint interest unites bird and beast ; it is the nearest 

 approach to symbiosis among the higher vertebrates 

 of this country, but is far less advanced than the 

 partnership which exists between the rhinoceros 

 bird and the rhinoceros or buffalo, and between 

 the spur-winged plover and crocodile in Africa. 



One day I was walking by a meadow, adjoining 

 the Bishop's palace at Wells, where several cows 

 were grazing, and noticed a little beyond them a 

 number of rooks and starlings scattered about. 

 Presently a flock of about forty of the cathedral 



