THE BEECH WOODS 



take their food with much noise and 

 gusto. One day an old crow left on 

 guard near the pines discovered the 

 Neighbour moving beneath the rookery 

 and gave the alarm, cawing harshly 

 and circling about. From all parts of 

 the wood and even the neighbouring 

 woods came the answering calls, and 

 soon there were dozens of agitated 

 friends adding their cries to the bedlam 

 of noise. A hawk, taking alarm, added 

 his harsh screams to the general con- 

 fusion, and circled away to a quieter 

 part of the woods to await develop- 

 ments. The Neighbour kept himself 

 hidden in the thick undergrowth, and 

 suddenly they moved off to the centre 

 of the woods, where they had seen him 

 the day previous, and broke out afresh 

 in a wild babble of alarm. These spas- 

 modic uproars continued for over an 

 hour before they finally grew quiet 

 and dispersed to their home woods. 



Frequently in the early morninga 

 the old birds varied their diet by visit- 

 ing the Neighbour's corn field when 

 the corn was just sprouting, scorning 

 the clownish scarecrow in the cocked 

 50 



