50 BIRDS AND MAN 



or fourteen minutes, until the annoyance became 

 intolerable ; then the sheep raised her head and 

 refused to lower it any more, and in that very 

 uncomfortable position, with her nose high in 

 the air, she appeared determined to stay. In 

 vain the lapwing waited, and at last began to 

 make little jumps at the face. The nose was 

 out of reach, but by and by, in one of its jumps, 

 it caught the sheep's ear in its beak and remained 

 hanging with drooping wings and dangling legs. 

 The sheep shook her head several times and at last 

 shook the bird off; but no sooner was it down 

 than it jumped up and caught the ear again ; 

 then at last the sheep, fairly beaten, struggled 

 up to her feet, throwing the bird off, and lazily 

 walked away, shaking her head repeatedly. 



How great the confidence of the plover must 

 have been to allow it to act in such a manner ! 



This perfect confidence which birds have in the 

 mammals they have been taught by experience 

 and tradition to regard as harmless must be 

 familiar to any one who has observed partridges 

 associating with rabbits. The manners of the 

 rabbit, one would imagine, must be exceedingly 

 " upsetting " to birds of so timorous a disposition. 



