BIRD-HAUNTED LONDON 111 



of the " common " bunting, for they have not a single 

 breeding-station in England. The lesser blackbacks, 

 sprinkled among the blackheads, and illuminating their 

 pearls and whites by the rich contrast of their own 

 dark cloaks, will occasionally busy themselves in the 

 fields, and 1 once flushed one of them within fifty 

 yards of my house. Assuredly, the breaking in upon 

 us cockneys of these wild fays of wave and cliff, like 

 masquers upon a gloomy hall, is a peaceful conquest 

 of nature that prophesies a brighter, if distant future. 



I have seen great crested gi-ebes on many occasions 

 all the year round in the district, both on the river and 

 the reservoirs. Their appearances are quite incalculable, 

 and they are quite approachable. My first bird was 

 extraordinarily tame, and it once dived and reappeared 

 in a couple of minutes almost at my feet, when it set to 

 work preening its feathers and standing up to wave 

 its absurdly stunted wings without a trace of concern. 

 All the loons have these short wings, yet some of 

 them migrate over vast distances, and there is nothing 

 to show that their aquatic life is affecting their wing- 

 power. That would only happen if it was no longer 

 of any service to them or they fell into lazy habits. 

 For nature is the most impartial and democratic of 

 mothers, and gives to all her children their oppor- 

 tunities and their perils, and a free will and means 

 to benefit by the ones and escape from the others. 

 As a matter of fact the big grebe uses his wings very 

 much more often than the books allow. On Penn 

 Ponds, where there are three pairs, I have several 

 times seen them in rapid flight a few inches above the 

 surface of the water. Their wedge-shaped bodies enable 

 them, when they alight on the water, to plough through 

 it like a shearwater. 



My district possesses both a pond and a reservoir, 

 but the water-hens ^lisely keep to the river, dis- 

 appearing (in 1918-19 we had four) in March. But 

 the reservoir, too, had its own fame and endowment, 

 being occupied by a large party of tufted duck, pochards, 

 mallards, and coots. No " ornamental water-fowl " 

 these, but at liberty to come and go as they list. 



