BIRDS OF THE AIOORLAND 



The little fenceless road winds like a white ribbon 

 across the great stretches of heather. A belt of 

 short grass skirts it on either side, and here, two or 

 three mountain sheep are feeding, whilst others on 

 the lower hillside are browsing in green dells, half 

 hidden by the tall whins and bracken. In the far 

 distance the eye reaches the long, low outlines of the 

 hills. It is questionable if England can show finer 

 examples of Nature's freehand than may be seen in 

 these Yorkshire dales. With the horizon for a 

 canvas, the lines are drawn in firm yet delicate 

 curves, and for unbroken miles stand clear against 

 the sky. 



Standing on this slight elevation, the vast moor- 

 laad extends on every hand, the undulating surfaces 

 of green and purple, marred here and there by black- 

 ened tracts where the burner has been at work, but 

 growing freshly green again in the hollows where 

 the young bracken springs amidst the rocks. On 

 the ridges of the nearer hills, the butts can be 

 made out, ranged at equal distances and carefully 

 planned to intercept the flight of the oncoming 

 Grouse. 



To the right, on the summit of the slope strewn 

 with great grey boulders, lines of fir trees rise, 

 standing as storm-beaten travellers might with their 



