Plumage and its Meaning 



tits, for instance, on hunting bent, keep up an incessant 

 twittering all the while. Should one, more fortunate than 

 his fellows, come upon a plentiful supply of food, he raises 

 his voice as a signal to the others to share in his good 

 fortune. 



Some of our commonest finches, moderately brightly 

 marked, when viewed at close quarters, are decidedly 

 inconspicuous as they hop from branch to branch of some 

 favoured tree, so much so that even the experienced bird- 

 man may have some difficulty in distinguishing them from 

 others of a different species. One glimpse of these same 

 birds on the wing and their identity is unmistakably 

 revealed : the green-finch by his golden wing bands, the 

 chaf-finch by his black and white markings, the bull-finch 

 by his white rump. It is certain that these identification 

 marks serve the birds themselves in good stead when they 

 desire to keep in close company. The common sight of 

 a couple of bull-finches hunting in company, the one 

 following the other from tree to tree, tells us as much if 

 we can read nature aright. Jays, again, are barely dis- 

 tinguishable from their surroundings when not in flight, 

 but once their wings are spread, the conspicuous blue 

 marks thereon proclaim their identity far and wide. 

 Ring-doves also give themselves away in flight by the 

 white markings on their wings. 



Of conspicuous tail markings there are plenty. We\ 

 have already cited the white rump of the bull-finch. The 

 common and the black redstart have similar tail markings. 

 When their tails are folded, only sombre colours are 

 visible ; in flight, however, with tails spread, a bright 

 chestnut recognition patch is displayed. 



The white, upturned tail of the rabbit serves a useful 

 purpose, though it also provides a good mark for the 

 sportsman armed with a gun to the rabbit's undoing. As 

 the rabbit makes for its burrow when alarmed, the tails of 

 the foremost animals serve as guides for those behind, 

 enabling them to seek shelter with the least possible 



