1887-8S.] An Ornithological Visit to Warwickshire. 143 



Witli the exception of a few long worm-like ridges travers- 

 ing the county, and isolated mounds that crop up here and 

 there, the whole ground is flat and richly cultivated, save in 

 some parts where large tracts are entirely under wood. The 

 most important of these latter are the Bearley and Snitterfield 

 Bushes, which in summer, when the leaf is full out, and vege- 

 tation at its prime, will almost vie with a virgin forest in the 

 possession of tangled masses of impenetrable undergrowth, 

 chiefly brambles, blackthorn, and another hateful prickly plant 

 which I am not botanist enough to name. Periodical raids 

 are made upon these obstructions, and a thorough clearance 

 effected, but in a very few years the growth is as thick as 

 ever. Wide turf- walks intersect the woods for the benefit of 

 the sportsman and fox-hunter ; but although to all intents and 

 purposes a game-covert, any respectable person is free to wander 

 over it, and, to the credit of the inhabitants be it said, little or 

 no damage is ever done. Apropos of this latter remark, there 

 are two things which cannot fail to strike a Scotsman, however 

 casual an observer, who visits Warwickshire : the first is the 

 number of bypaths through woods and rights-of-way over 

 fields — two items which greatly enhance the pleasure to be 

 derived from a sojourn in these parts, when compared with 

 our own country districts, where one hardly dare leave the 

 bare turnpike without being hounded off the ground by some 

 irate agriculturist, or by the minions of the proprietor. The 

 second noticeable feature is the marked politeness of the 

 labouring population to strangers — a welcome contrast to the 

 manners of the same class in the south of Scotland, What- 

 ever may be said of the relative brain-power of the two — and 

 the Warwickshire farm-servant certainly does not seem to have 

 a superfluity of that commodity at his disposal, — it is beyond 

 dispute that he displays none of that stolid boorishness and want 

 of politeness to visitors which our men indulge in, and errone- 

 ously consider to be independence of spirit. I merely mention 

 these two facts in passing as being too conspicuous to escape 

 observation, and also out of grateful remembrance for the uni- 

 versal civility accorded to us during the time we passed in the 

 county. 



Over and above the scenic features, which of themselves are 

 well worthy of attention, the historic interest attaching to the 



