Wild Life on a Surrey Moor 



days went by the appetites of the chicks appeared to 

 increase in exact ratio to their size. Not so the good 

 qualities of their father, however. His interest and in- 

 dustry waned at the same time, and he spent longer and 

 longer periods away from the nest, leaving his mate to 

 work like a galley slave in order to feed their sons and 

 daughters. 



Luckily dragon flies of many different species were 

 plentiful in the immediate neighbourhood, and she 

 would occasionally return home with such a splendid 

 collection in her bill that their wings made it appear as 

 if she were wearing the wonderful creation of some 

 Parisian milliner on her head. How she was able to see 

 her way about in safety it is difficult to imagine. 

 Nevertheless, she managed to do so. Occasionally a 

 large specimen of the fat-bodied variety of dragon fly 

 was brought along with its wings shorn off and " all 

 ready for the table." These preparations were not 

 always remembered, however, and if the lucky recipient 

 a case of first come first served, energy and enterprise 

 always rewarded had any difficulty in swallowing the 

 prize its mother generally helped with a friendly thrust 

 of her bill. 



The stonechat has a habit of perching on the topmost 

 branch of a furze or other bush, and whilst he surveys 

 his surroundings uttering a note which sounds something 

 like u-tic, u-tic. This call note may be easily and success- 

 fully imitated by tapping two pebbles the size of a 

 thrush's egg smartly together. 



If you would learn what a quick luncheon means find 



