160 JUNE 



This particular mother is an old friend. She has 

 visited the lawn every morning for many weeks past, 

 and is conspicuous by reason of the total absence of her 

 tail. How it was lost is a mystery ; but whatever the 

 cause, the bird has lived happily for the last six weeks 

 without it, in the later state of Tarn o Shanter s mare 

 after the Witches frolic. 



The fient a tail she had to shake. 



The cause of the wag-tail name is gone ; and the jerky 

 movements are singularly ludicrous since the rudder dis 

 appeared. Happily she atones by the speed with which 

 she wags her head, and she seems to have no greater 

 difficulty than the handsome cock bird in catching flies. 

 It may be that in the manoeuvre of the slow retreat from 

 the dog, the absence of the plane was even an advantage. 

 She shammed to be more maimed than she was that 

 was all. 



Many birds, of course, will mob their enemies without 

 even the compulsion of danger. I once saw a hedge 

 sparrow trying to mob an adder that held its bent head 

 over her nest of young. One has watched swallows 

 diving again and again to within an inch or two of a cat s 

 back. Great numbers of birds will mob hawks and 

 owls. The other day in the suburbs of Oxford quite a 

 little crowd gathered to watch an angry and vocal thrush 

 charging again and again at a jackdaw seated on a garden 

 branch overhanging the road ; and strangers congratu 

 lated one another with a smile of satisfaction when at the 

 fifth or sixth charge the defeated daw fled away. Par 

 tridges, who are famous parents, will actually fight a 

 crow, indeed, fight to the death, in defence of their 

 young ; and they are, of course, supreme, with the 

 possible exception of the green plover, in shamming 



