Packing. 269 



and remain there till after it is cnt ; immediately 

 afterwards the}' are heard in the corn. Presentl}- 

 they are silent and supposed to be gone ; but I have 

 heard of their being shot in the opening of the shoot- 

 ing season on the uplands. The cry of the crake 

 in that localit}^ is so common and so continuous as 

 to form one of the most striking features of the 

 spring : the farmers listen for them, and note their 

 first arrival just as for the cuckoo — which it may be 

 observed, in passing, even in England keeps time 

 with the young figs. 



But when I had occasion to pass a spring in 

 Surrey the first thing I noticed was the rarit}' of the 

 crakes ; I heard one or two at most, and that only 

 for a short time. Long before the grass was mown 

 they were gone — doubtless northwards, having only 

 called in passing. I am told the}' call again in 

 coming back, and are occasionally shot in Sep- 

 tember. But the next spring, chancing again to 

 be in Surrey at that season, though constantly about 

 out of doors, I never heard a crake but once — one 

 single call — and even then was not quite sure of it. 

 I am told, again, that there are parts of the county 

 wdiere they are more numerous : the}^ were certainly 

 scarce those two seasons in that locality. Now here 

 we have an instance in direct contradiction to the 

 suggestion that the early state of vegetation is at- 

 tractive to our spring visitors. The crakes appeared 

 to come earlier, in larger numbers, and to be more 

 contented and make a longer stay in the colder 

 county than in the warm one. 



The packing of birds is very interesting, and no 

 thoroughly satisfactory explanation of it, that I am 



