88 A MIDLAND TltLASB : GARDEN AND MEADOW. 



out how they eontrived to hold on by it any langer. Young 

 birds too, like young troirt, are much less suspicious than old 

 ones, and wUl often let you come quite close to them. In 

 Magdalen Walk at Oxford the young birds delight to hop about 

 on the gravel path, supplying themselves, I suppose, with the 

 pebbles which they need for digestion; and here one day in 

 July a young Eobin repeatedly let me come within two yards 

 of Mm, at which distance from me he picked up a fat green 

 caterpillar, swallowed it with great gusto, and literaiUy smacked 

 his bill afterwards. The very close examination thus afforded 

 me of this living young Eobin disclosed a strong rufous tint 

 on the tail-coverts,, of which I can find nothing in descriptions 

 of the bird ; if this is usually the ease, it should indicate a 

 close connexion with the Redstarts, the young of which resemble 

 the young Eobin also in the mottled brown of the rest of their 

 plumage. 



Our meadows are liable to flood occasionally in the winter, 

 and also in a summer wetter than usual. One stormy day 

 in July, some years ago, I espied two common Gulls standing 

 in the water of a slight flood, apparently quite at home. But 

 OUT Eooks found them out, and considering the Yantle sacred 

 to themselves and such small birds as they might be graciously 

 pleased to allow there, proceeded to worry them by fflying round 

 and round above them incessantly until the poor birds were fain 

 to depart. Eooks are very hostile to intruders, and quite capable 

 of continued teasing ; I have watched them for a whole morning 

 persecuting a Kestrel. No sooner did the Kestrel alight on the 

 ground than the rooks ' went for it' and drove it away ; and 



