242 



AUGUST. 



during the warmth of the day amongst the willow- 

 holts on the banks of rivers. The ground is dry 

 you may lounge at your ease. There is a grateful 

 freshness in the wilderness of green boughs and 

 leaves that surround you ; no tree, saith the vene- 

 rable Evelyn, affordeth so cool a shade as the 

 willow ; and thus agreeably hidden, you may often 

 catch glimpses of the habits of the shyer and 

 smaller animals traits which perhaps have yet 

 escaped the naturalist, and which may tend to 

 eradicate those ignorant prejudices so cruel and 

 oppressive to many of the innocent commoners of 

 Nature. The water-rat is considered a common 

 thief, and is killed wherever he is found. If you 

 watch him in his secluded streams, you will quickly 

 discern that his food is almost entirely the herbage 

 which grows in them, and especially the leaf of the 

 arrowhead. I have seen him repeatedly sally forth 

 from his retreat, crop a leaf of arrowhead, and bear 

 it away in his mouth by the stem, as the dove is 

 drawn returning to the ark with the olive-branch. 

 Who would not find a greater gratification in 

 watching the happy and undestructive habits of a 

 timid little creature than in shooting it, or worrying 

 it with dogs ? I do not mean to say that these or 

 any other wild animals should be suffered to in- 

 crease till they become nuisances, but in moderate 

 numbers I would let them enjoy God's good gifts of 

 life and sunshine ; and if they must be the victims 

 of our rights, they should never be the objects of 

 our wantonness. 



