120 BIRD LIFE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR 



all kinds of confidential twitterings which are dis- 

 carded as soon as the fledglings can shift for them- 

 selves. This family life which seems to show birds 

 at their best, involving, as it does, so much care and 

 watchfulness on behalf of their young, is only a fleeting 

 phase, for the family is soon merged in the flock, but 

 while it lasts it gives us many a pleasing picture, e.g., 

 of a whole family of tits in fluffy and engaging infancy 

 perched side by side upon a branch, or of the cock 

 chaffinch, spick and span, hopping up to place a grub 

 in the wide-open mouth of one of his hopeful fledglings 

 whose quivering wings and impatient cries tell of its 

 eager expectancy, or again of the flycatcher, which 

 in an aerial excursion has just made prize of a " long- 

 legs " with an audible snap of his bill, carrying his 

 booty to the young bird, more mealy in plumage than 

 himself, perched on a croquet-hoop or on the edge of 

 the tennis-net. What a twittering and trilling and 

 scolding there is where the education of young linnets 

 is proceeding amongst the gorse, while in the hay 

 meadows whinchats, perched on the taller heads of 

 cow-parsnip, with slowly dipping tails and sharp note 

 of " u-tick " warn their young to keep down amongst 

 the long grasses. What prettier sight than to see the 

 swallow poise on fluttering pinions for a moment to 

 feed a young bird on the wing, or hover to fill each 

 gaping bill of its young family perched side by side 

 on the telegraph-wire. 



