Design for illuminated text with birds and rose hips

The William Morris Gallery holds a large collection of working drawings by Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo and other members of the Century Guild. This drawing is from a series of designs for illuminated texts. The design shows six swifts on rosehip branches either side of pillar with a banner, this is set against a background of a clouded sky with sunbeams. Some birds are known to eat rosehips so this enigmatic design may be partly based on observations from nature.