46. Wild Life in a Southern County. 
pleasantly shaded with brown. He perches on the 
upper boughs of the hawthorn or on a rail, coming up 
from the corn as if to look around him—for he feeds 
chiefly on the ground—and uttering two or three 
short notes. His plumage gives a life and tint to the 
hedge, contrasting so brightly with the vegetation 
and with other birds. His song is but a few bars 
repeated, yet it has a pleasing and soothing effect in 
the drowsy warmth of summer. Yellowhammers 
haunt the corn-fields principally, though they are not 
absent from the meadows. 
To this hedge the hill-magpie comes: some mag- 
pies seem to keep almost entirely to the downs, while 
others range the vale, though there is no apparent 
difference between them. His peculiar uneven and, 
so to say, flickering flight, marks him at a distance as 
he jauntily journeys along beside the slope. He 
visits every fir copse and beech clump on his way, 
spending some time, too, in and about the hawthorn 
hedge, which is a favourite spot. Sometimes in the 
spring, while the corn is yet short and green, if you 
glance carefully through an opening in the bushes or 
round the side of the gateway, you may see him busy 
on the ground. His restless excitable nature betrays 
itself in every motion: he walks now to the right a 
couple of yards, now to the left in a quick zigzag, so 
working across the field towards you; then with a 
long rush he makes a lengthy traverse at the top of 
his speed, turns and darts away again at right angles, 
