114 GRALL^E. 



earlier in the month if snow appeared on the summits of the 

 Grampians, which is often the case even early in that month. 

 On the return, the flocks were much more numerous, and the 

 birds flew much closer together. They seemed heavy with 

 fat ; and though the country people did not capture them 

 for food, they had a common saying, " As fat and stupid 

 as a dotterel.'* They moved about by short flights ; and 

 though one could raise them by shouting, they merely wheeled 

 about a little, and alighted on the same spot. When a boy, 

 I have often given chase to them for some way into the 

 moor, almost within arm's-length of the closely serried pack, 

 the last ones merely rising, flying over the rest and again 

 alighting, as if a broad wheel of birds had been rolling on 

 before me. But they always kept at the same distance ; and 

 after they had fairly worn me out in the tempting but fruit- 

 less pursuit, they would all rise in a body, wheel backwards 

 over my head, almost touching it, and, by a longer flight, 

 return to the very spot from which we set out. 



At nearly the same period of the autumn, they appear in 

 thick and crowded flocks in the southern and eastern parts 

 of England, upon the commons and unenclosed wastes and 

 sheep-walks. There they are equally indifferent to the near 

 approach of man ; and if the pack have alighted across a 

 foot-path or road, they will merely open their files till the 

 traveller passes, and then close them behind him ; or if the 

 pack is of considerable extent, they will close behind him 

 while they are opening in front ; so that when seen at a little 

 distance, he appears to be merely raising the dust of the road 

 as he passes. 



To dogs they are not a little perplexing, as these do not 

 raise the whole pack, but have a portion of it on the wing 

 all round them ; and though the dog is always near them, he 

 is so equally near on all sides, that He gets bewildered and 

 tired with an equally tempting and fruitless chase. 



