BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 97 



human neighbour, as I was staying in a fishing- 

 cottage near the spot where the bird had its nest. 

 Eventually it brought off eight chicks and remained 

 with them at the same spot on the edge of the valley, 

 living like a rail among the sedges and tall valley 

 herbage* I never went near the bird, but from the 

 cottage caught sight of it from time to time, and 

 sometimes watched it with my binocular. There 

 was, I thought, a good chance of its being able to 

 rear its young, unless the damp proved injurious, 

 as there was no dog or cat at the cottage, and there 

 were no carrion crows or sparrow-hawks at that 

 spot. One morning about five o'clock on going out 

 I spied a fox terrier, a poaching dog from the 

 neighbouring village, rushing about in an excited 

 state a hundred yards or so below the cottage. He 

 had scented the birds, and presently up rose the hen 

 from the tall grass with a mighty noise, then flopping 

 down she began beating her wings and struggling 

 over the grass, uttering the most agonizing screams, 

 the dog after her, frantically grabbing at her tail. 

 I feared that he would catch her, and seizing a stick 

 flew down to the rescue, yelling at the dog, but he 

 was too excited to obey or even hear me. At length, 

 thanks to the devious course taken by the bird, I 

 got near enough to get in a good blow on the dog's 

 back. He winced and went on as furiously as ever, 

 and then I got in another blow so well delivered 



