264 BIRD WATCHING 



" Of the two assemblies on the ground, one is in 

 perpetual motion, birds constantly rising — either 

 singly, in twos or threes, or in small parties — from 

 where they were, flying a little way just above the 

 heads of their fellows, and re-settling amongst them 

 again. Thus no individual bird, as it seems to me, 

 remains where it was for long, though those in the 

 air, at any given moment, form but a small minority, 

 compared with the main body on the ground. 



" But the birds composing the other great assem- 

 blage keep their places, or, if some few rise to change 

 them, these are not enough to give character to the 

 whole, or even to attract attention. It is curious to 

 see two such great bodies of birds close to each other, 

 and on the same uniform pasture-land, yet behaving 

 so differently, the one so still, the other in such con- 

 stant activity. 



" About 4 P.M. a great number of rooks rise from 

 some trees in a small covert near by, and fly towards 

 those on the ground. As they approach the first 

 great body — which is the lively one — the birds com- 

 posing it rise up, as with one accord, and fly, not to 

 meet them, as one might have expected, but in the 

 same direction as they are flying. So nicely timed, 

 however, is the movement, that the rising body 

 become, in a moment, the vanguard of the now com- 

 bined troop. 



"All these birds then fly together to the other 

 assembly, and whilst about half of their number 

 sweep down to reinforce it, the other half continue 

 to fly on. The flying rooks, however, are not joined 

 by any of those on the ground. How curious it is 

 that, in the first instance, the one whole body of birds 



