THE BIRDS OF BRECONSHIRE. 69 
bird. Many years since, alas! in an old 
country seat in Wiltshire, where I spent 
many happy days, I took my gun one 
summer evening, and, followed by old 
‘‘Sahib,” the retriever, I started to get a 
rabbit. Passing through a small park 
and down by the ‘Ladies’ Well,’ I 
came to a field almost surrounded 
by woods. It was twilight, and all 
was still, save the tinkling of the 
distant sheep bells on the Cherhill 
Down, and the faint ringing of the 
many chimes borne from the hills of 
the ‘‘White Horse.” No rabbits were 
out, so “Sahib” and I watched and 
waited, until an old doe _ cautiously 
appeared and began distrustfully to feed; 
then a little hedgehog came out, working 
about with his nose in the grass in a 
wonderful way. All at once the old 
rabbit stopped feeding, the hedgehog 
seemed inclined to roll himself up, and 
old ‘‘Sahib” pricked his ears, as, with 
a splendid swift-like rush, gliding noise- 
lessly through the air, a bird came 
circling by; a minute more and I heard 
its curious jarring cry, and forgot every- 
thing else in watching with a delight that 
comes back to me even now, the 
