174 BIRDS 



glass; but if a companion is needed, let that com- 

 panion be one of similar tastes to yourself, and 

 do not increase the party! If more than two 

 persons set off to observe birds there is likely to be 

 more talking and commotion than if two kindred 

 spirits join company. 



Wander along quietly, your field-glass focussed 

 ready for action at any moment, and look and 

 listen at every likely spot for some feathered 

 inhabitant of the part of the country you are 

 visiting. It is astonishing how birds can be seen 

 to advantage when one remains quiet, and I have 

 many times during my wanderings had a peep at 

 shy Warblers, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Moor- 

 hens, Coots, Little Grebes, Crows, and other kinds 

 too numerous to mention, which would not have 

 been possible unless great patience and absolute 

 quietude had been displayed. 



You must call perseverance to your aid, too, if 

 you would observe birds successfully, and also 

 carry out operations throughout the whole of the 

 year. Do not restrict your observations to the 

 Summer when the trees are laden with their finest 

 dresses, for at such time it is a most difficult 

 matter to get a sight of some of the smaller birds 

 that do not come out into the open. During the 

 Winter, when the trees and bushes are leafless, 

 then is a splendid time to observe birds to advan- 

 tage. This is especially the case when there has 



