22 Birds that come to our 



They are the best ratters in the world ; and rats 

 are, without exception, the biggest pests. 



But I don't want to write about them ! They are 

 too ugly and destructive, and have well-nigh extermi- 

 nated their smaller black cousins, who are (or were) so 

 far superior. 



If you have a pond or a lake on the verge of the 

 lawn, so much the better, for then you can enjoy the com- 

 panionship of birds that are aquatic or semi-aquatic. 



Sprightly moorhens — which I have already men- 

 tioned en passant — uttering their musical croak, will 

 trip about on the grass, or push their way amongst the 

 water-lily leaves, followed by an active family of black 

 pufFballs with scarlet-sheafed bills. Most fascinating 

 little nigger boys, now scrambling over the broad 

 leaves on abnormally large feet, now sheltering be- 

 neath them, or searching there for insects. 



And if no gun is ever fired near by, if the pond 

 or the lake is kept as a sanctuary, the moorhens, dab- 

 chicks, and kingfishers will soon take advantage of the 

 protection afforded them by becoming familiar deni- 

 zens of a spot that without them would be lacking in 

 life. 



There, too, the sedge and reed warblers may take up 

 their summer residence, chattering musically amongst 

 the reeds and border plants of the water. 



When once a place has been peopled with bird 

 life, the blank that its absence causes is markedly 

 noticeable. When I had to shift to another home, 

 despatching a small colony of gulls, storks, cranes, 

 and herons beforehand, the lawn of the old home 



