VILLAGE BIRDS IN WINTER 245 



III 



VILLAGE BIRDS IN WINTER 



Throughout the winter of 1915-16, and more 

 particularly during my three months in the hospital 

 at Hayle, from the beginning of December to March, 

 I was greatly impressed at the perpetual state of 

 hunger in which the birds exist, especially the three 

 commonest species in our village — rook, daw, and 

 starling. Little wonder that the sight of a piece of 

 bread thrown out on the green field below my 

 window would bring all these three and many others 

 with a rush from all sides, every one eager to get a 

 morsel ! But the birds that hve most in a groove, 

 as it were, like the rook and starling, and have but 

 one kind of food and one way of finding it, are always 

 the worst off in winter. These subsist on the grubs 

 and other minute organisms they are able to pick out 

 of the grass roots, and are life workers paid by the 

 piece who must labour hard and incessantly to make 

 enough to keep themselves alive ; their winter life 

 is accordingly in startling contrast to that of the daw 

 — one that Hves on his wits and fares better and 

 altogether has an easier and more amusing time. 

 It was the habit of the three species named to 



