BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 41 



a use. It formed the one dry clear spot in the 

 midst of all that moist vegetation, and the birds 

 that came from the wood to drink and search for 

 worms and small caterpillars first alighted on the 

 bridge. There they would rest a few moments, 

 take a look round, then fly to some favourite spot 

 where succulent morsels had been picked up on 

 previous visits. Thrushes, blackbirds, sparrows, 

 reed-buntings, chaflinches, tits, wrens, with many 

 other species, succeeded each other all day long; 

 for now they mostly had young to provide for, 

 and it was their busiest time. 



The unsullied beauty and solitariness of this 

 spot made me wish at first that I was a boy once 

 more, to climb and to swim^ to revel in the sun- 

 shine and flowers, to be nearer in spirit to the 

 birds and dragon flies and water-rats; then, that 

 I could build a cabin and live there all the 

 summer long, forgetful of the world and its 

 affairs, with no human creature to keep me 

 company, and no book to read, or with only 

 one slim volume, some Spanish poet, let me 

 say Melendez, for preference — only a small selec- 

 tion from his too voluminous writings; for he, 

 albeit an eighteenth-century singer, was perhaps 



