82 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



and children to go out who wished, but no men. As to 

 this they were very strict. About 2,000 took advantage of 

 their license. Their conduct was certainly characterised by 

 humanity all through the afifair. 



The French soldiers were marched off the first thing after 

 the town was ceded, but some of the officers were still there. 

 Whether they were on parole I did not ascertain, or whether 

 they were permitted the convenience of remaining to pack 

 up after the common soldiery had gone. 



We transacted our business with M. Offeld, the "juge de 

 paix," whose father commanded the artillery of the National 

 Guard in 18 14, and who had seen Longwy bombarded 

 three times ; and then set our faces towards Longwy Bas, a 

 village at the bottom of the hill, where we left our horse and 

 cart, to have the extreme "satisfaction" of discovering that 

 a rogue had stolen the harness. After three hours' worry 

 we got some more ; but our troubles were not over, for at 

 Aumetz the gallant steed ran away while we were in the 

 inn, and broke spring, trace, and dashboard ! 



We drove into Metz on the Sabbath morning. As we 

 drew near, the distant reverberation of cannon was borne to 

 us on the frosty air. Paris had capitulated, and flash after 

 flash gleamed from the lofty heights of Phlappeville and 

 St. Julien in celebration of her downfall. Two hours later, 

 and we rattled up the streets crowded with men of both 

 nations, who were hailing the good news of a three-weeks' 

 armistice. 



On this journey I saw a great many Buzzards (Buteo 

 vulgaris, Leach). Some thought the dead horses attracted 

 them, but I fancy that this kind of carrion was mostly 

 underground before Christmas.* At any rate I saw enough 



^' The son of the castellan of Raglan Castle, near Monmouth, had a 

 tame Buzzard when my father was at the castle in 1872, which he had 

 obtained from an adjacent wood. He told him that he gave it twenty- 



