. Mutton birds and other birds . k whenabout to journey forth, a Shag from one of thesecentralmost nests, betrays his knowledge of thegreeting in store. In his aspect there is some-thing of trepidation and nervousness, andyounger birds, I suppose, sometimes for amoment hesitate, with the vacillating air of atimid country woman at a crowded crossing, andseem, in the yells of execration, almost to losetheir wits. There is no escape, however, each birdvacating its nest, must pass down the lines, andhas to run the gauntlet, as it were, with loweredhead, feathers tightly compressed, screamed atby e
. Mutton birds and other birds . k whenabout to journey forth, a Shag from one of thesecentralmost nests, betrays his knowledge of thegreeting in store. In his aspect there is some-thing of trepidation and nervousness, andyounger birds, I suppose, sometimes for amoment hesitate, with the vacillating air of atimid country woman at a crowded crossing, andseem, in the yells of execration, almost to losetheir wits. There is no escape, however, each birdvacating its nest, must pass down the lines, andhas to run the gauntlet, as it were, with loweredhead, feathers tightly compressed, screamed atby every sitting bird, and barely out of strikingand pecking distance. To me, the conduct of the nestling Shaglets,half grown fellows still in the wool, added stillanother touch of humour to the picture. When-ever the screaming heralded the approach of al^asser-by, each nestful on the track started atonce to life. Heads were everywhere rearedaloft, and the route thronged to enjoy thespectacle. These nestlings were as fierce in their. AND OTHER BIRDS 181 screams, and as eager as the mature birds to rugand tug at. feathers happily within reach, and itwas truly ludicrous to watch their juvenile par-ticipation in the cruel fun. This pleasure,is denied entirely only to the central quartet ofnesting birds—those, that is, in possession of thevery best and centralmost building sites, and bywhose homes consequently no Shag passes onfoot. It is enjoyed to the uttermost and withoutfear of retaliation only by the outermost birds,—those, that is, with wind-bloT\m and spray-beatennests—and is delightfully prolonged by a tardi-ness of progression that not even shame and fearcan accelerate. The Shag, when on foot, must raise high hisfeet; he must carefully plant them down, and,with what joy must he not fall over the cliffsedge and feel the air beneath his wings. In its conjunction of trepidation and shame,the mien of a cowed Shag, thus passing downone of these terrible lanes, can be compared
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidmuttonbirdso, bookyear1914
