inseparable
from any attempt to do so, there remains the unquestionable fact that
whereas the impulse to attack was strong in the one, the impulse to
defend itself was wholly lacking in the other. Yet a Whinchat, when it
has established itself, is most pugnacious; it not only attacks every
bird of a similar size that approaches its position, but its behaviour
under such circumstances bears the impress of unusual determination; and
if we were to take a male and place it in the position of the Stonechat,
we should find that its nature would change, that the presence of the
Stonechat would evoke a hostile response, and, conversely, that the
instinct of the Stonechat would not be susceptible to stimulation. Hence
it is clear that the nature of a bird when on migration is not quite the
same as it is when its destination is reached; that the positions
occupied from time to time during the journey carry no meaning, or,
rather, are not brought into relation with its life in quite the same
way as is the position which it finally occupies; and further, it is
clear that the interest it displays in other species undergoes a
somewhat remarkable transformation when at length its destination is
reached.

This altered nature of the migrant is a fact of some importance in
relation to our present subject, but it does not stand alone--the same
characteristic is observable in other phases of bird life. Some of the
residents, the Buntings and the Finches for example, occupy their
breeding ground very early in the year, and it often happens that the
situations which they select are not capable of supplying them with food
so early in the season, though at a later date food will be there in
abundance; so that they are compelled to resort to the surrounding
neighbourhood, and since, even there, the available supply is sometimes
scarce or, if plentiful, limited to certain areas, they are constrained
from time to time to join together again in flocks. Thus, for part of
the year, they may be said to lead a double existence; for just as the
Whinchat, that is sociable on migration, betrays a changed nature when
it reaches its destination, so too does the nature of these residents
change from hour to hour according to whether they are seeking food or
occupying the breeding ground.

In the newly-sown fields of grain the birds frequently find a supply of
food. Here Yellow Buntings, Greenfinches, and Chaffinches collect from
the surrounding neighbour