34 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 
324. The Balance of Nature. — I happened to visit the garden of a great 
botanist and horticultuiist. No birds were suffered to exist in the precincts of 
the garden. The result was a plague of vermin and insects in the cherished 
plants. I was also in the garden of a determined enemy to all the feathered 
tribe, where the only thing to be considered was the fruit. This was ravaged by 
caterpillars, wasps and other insects. In my own garden I have an abundance 
of fruit, and the fruit and flowers are free from blight or insects or vermin — the 
flowers especially beautiful — because I encourage every bird I can into my garden, 
and feed them all the year round. The earth without birds would be a foul 
desert. Surrey. 
325. Weasel and Water birds.— I frequently find my way down to 
the little river Nar, 200 yards from my house, to a delightfully quiet spot close 
to the disused duck decoy, and the moat that once surrounded a grand old manor 
house. Here something is always cropping up that charms an observer’s eyes 
and ears. One morning when standing in this spot by the stream, with a green 
sandpiper half a dozen yards off, I heard a strange cry not unlike a rabbit in 
distress, and saw a water-rail fly down the river and settle near me in the dead 
willow-herb at the water’s edge. A weasel then ran down the river bank in 
pursuit of the water-rail, causing it to swim out into the stream. The actions of 
this bird in the water are very similar to those of moor hen : like them it jerks the 
tail when swimming or on land. A dabchick was then turned out by the weasel 
from under the bank, and soon dived out of danger’s way. Shortly after this 
as the weasel ran along a rail across the stream, the curious noise again began 
and continued to be uttered. On creeping forward to learn the cause I dis- 
turbed two water-rail and a snipe, and found that the cry proceeded from a 
moor-hen which was showing its objection to the weasel’s presence. A water- 
rail is not to be seen swimming about every day, and the cry of the moor-hen 
at the sight of the weasel was such as I had never before known to proceed from 
any water bird. All this occurred within a space of 20 yards. 
Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
326. Peregrine and Plover. — For some days past many thousands 
of Green Plover have congregated together on a large ploughed field near my 
house. Their numbers were so great that the sound of their wings and their 
cheerful cries were a daily delight to me. One morning as they rose in a huge 
cloud a peregrine made a swoop into their midst. The plover at once split up 
into companies of from 100 to 500 strong, rising to such a height as to be scarcely 
visible, and finally deserting the locality for the rest of the day. Next morning 
about a third of their number returned to their old quarters together with several 
herons, but were very silent and restless. Again they rose in fright, herons and 
all, and pursued the same tactics as before, the cause no doubt being the same 
as on the previous day. On my going to look for them on the third morning, the 
herons were keeping sentinel in the open, but only about a hundred plover were 
to be seen, the rest having made up their minds to retire from such a dangerous 
place. The swoop of a falcon causes more consternation in a flock of plover 
than a dozen guns. 
Southacre, Swaffham, Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
December, 1905. 
327. The Argonaut and Flying Fish. — With reference to this 
cephalopod and its supposed “ sail,” I had an opportunity of observing a small 
“fleet” when crossing the Equator. They were very suggestive of the little 
boats on the river and pond in Kensington Gardens ; but by watching them 
through an opera-glass, it was easy to see that the resemblance to a square white 
sail was chiefly in the shell itself projecting above the water and seen end-wise 
with the sun shining upon it. With regard to flying fish, it is sometimes said 
that they only skim over the surface of the water, but cannot fly. I watched 
many shoals of them, and observed they often rose up to clear a wave, as well 
as darted to the right or left before plunging again into the sea. These actions 
appeared to indicate that they had the power to do more than merely skim over 
the surface in a straight line. George Henslow. 
