BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 105 



Battersea, and during this time they were watched 

 every day by thousands of Londoners with keen 

 interest and pleasure. The river here, flowing 

 through the very centre and heart of the greatest 

 city of the world, forms at all hours and at all seasons 

 of the year a noble and magnificent sight ; to my 

 eyes it never looked more beautiful and wonderful 

 than during those intensely cold days of January, 

 when there was nothing that one could call a mist 

 in the chilly motionless atmosphere, but only a 

 faint hage, a pallor as of impalpable frost, which made 

 the heavens seem more white than blue, and gave a 

 hoariness and cloud-like remoteness to the arches 

 spaiming the water, and the vast buildingis on either 

 side, ending with the sublime dome of the city 

 cathedral ; and when out of the pale motionless 

 haze, singly, in twos and threes, in dozens and 

 scores, floated the mysterious white bird-figures ; 

 first seen hke vague shadows in the sky, then quickly 

 taking shape and whiteness, and floating serenely 

 past, to be succeeded by others and yet others. 



It was not merely the ornithologist in me that made 

 the sight so fascinating, since it was found that others 

 — all others, it might almost be said — experienced 

 the same kind of delight. Crowds of people came 

 down to the river to watch the birds ; workmen 

 when released from their work at midday hurried 

 down to the embankment so as to enjoy seeing the 



