no ANNALS OF BIRD LIFE. 



ruthless mowers, and the herbage, in long, regular 

 swathes, is waiting for the hay-makers. How 

 beautiful these fields look just as the crop of 

 grass is ripening, and the summer breezes sweep 

 across them in undulating waves, or the shadows 

 of the passing clouds are cast upon their olive- 

 green surface ! What a wealth of life is harboured 

 in their summertide luxuriance ! Where the grass 

 grows thickest the shy and timid Landrail 

 skulks, or runs to and fro through the herbage 

 in quest of food, uttering his harsh, loud cry at 

 intervals. He is a watchful, wary creature, and 

 is far more often heard than seen. The nest of 

 this bird is very neat and well-made ; coarse, dead 

 grass forming the outer structure, which is lined 

 with long fine grass. The eggs are from eight to 

 twelve in number, buff in ground colour, spotted 

 and blotched with reddish-brown and gray. The 

 Young Whinchat is another bird of the meadows which 



Whinchats 



jui y fly ' I0th pertinaciously keeps up its monotonous note of 



u-tac, n-tac-tac-tac, as it clings to the tall weeds 



and grasses. Its young are now strong upon the 



wing, and the little family keep together until 



the autumn. House Sparrows and Greenfinches 



perch upon the swathes of grass to pick out the 



Thrushes seeds. Blackbirds and Thrushes love the meadow 



andYrSci, grass, and search amongst it for snails and 



istjune. & ..-- 11 



worms, especially in early morning and at dusk, 

 when the dew is lying thickly on the herbage. 

 Both these species are now engaged in bringing 

 up their second broods. The young are hatched 



