BIRDS LOST IN STORMS \ 23 



sionally hidden by a white, drifting cloud. Far away 

 to the north was a long-winged bird, beating up 

 against the wind. At one time it rose high in the 

 air, facing the gale ; then it descended with a rapid 

 swoop progressing westwards, but at the same time 

 ' falling off' still further to the north. It was a 

 young herring - gull, its chequered grey - and-white 

 plumage showing clearly in the bright light as it 

 approached. It was easy to conjecture from the 

 gull's flight the power of storms to drive birds from 

 the course which they aim at. The bird's point was 

 clearly westward. It used every shelter and every 

 lull of the wind to make it ; but the gale was too 

 powerful, and it appeared that it must either stay on 

 the inhospitable land until the wind dropped, work 

 its way slowly to the west with a rapid drift to the 

 north, or abandon its struggle and drift with the wind. 

 But all birds seem to have an instinctive knowledge 

 that if they once surrender to the force of the wind, 

 and allow themselves to drift like leaves, there are 

 unknown dangers in store for them. They will 

 hardly ever do so unless to escape pursuit, and then 

 only for a few minutes, when their pace is so marvel- 

 lously rapid that, in the case of land-birds, a few 

 minutes is sufficient to carry them out of the district 

 they know into others from which they will perhaps 

 never find their way back to the fields which are 



