Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/206

178 A social feeling seemed to me to be manifested in this hunting scene—a sort of "Have you got one? I have. That bird over there's caught two!" idea. But this may be quite imaginary. Isolated birds (comparatively alone) ran about in the same way. Still, the whole scene with its various little incidents gave me that idea. Gradually, as it became dark, the birds all flew away, two or three or more together. It often seemed as if a chase ended in a flight away, but this may not have been really the case. It may have now become too dark for the birds to see and chase (perhaps minute) insects, or to see them at all, though they seem fairly nocturnal, and their visual powers are no doubt in proportion to the very large eyes.

One bird to-day was sitting right in a Rabbit-burrow. Though looking down at it from where I was, I could only see its head, shoulders, and upper part of the breast. The whole amphitheatre is more or less a Rabbit-warren, and Rabbits and birds were often extremely close together. Usually they seemed unaware of each other's existence, but when a Rabbit—either pursued by or pursuing another—ran with great speed, and seemed coming right down on a bird, the latter would manifest anxiety, and run a little to get out of its way.

September 5th.—Arrived about 5.30. Fair number of birds about, but not nearly so many as yesterday. Almost from time of my arrival they were all in more or less constant motion, their actions being exactly the same as before, excepting that the waving of the wings and little jumps into the air (as described) were, though not entirely absent, yet comparatively so. Just in front of me the air was peopled with a number of minute insects—gnats, flies, or small Hymenoptera—many hovering just above the ground, upon which (on blades of grass, &c.) they often settled. I make no doubt these, together with small moths, were the game pursued.

A large flock of Starlings came down upon the plateau, spreading themselves over the greater part of it, and they behaved just as the Plovers—running excitedly about in the same manner, and evidently with the same object. What interested me especially was that they frequently rose into the air, pursuing and, as I feel sure, often catching the game there (sometimes more than one in the same rise, I believe), turning and twisting about like