DABCHICK. 117 



and flourishing with plenty of earth on a sixpence : it has 

 nineteen leaves, and five full-blown flowers, yet no part of 

 it extends to the circumference of the sixpence. Is not 

 this the smallest flowering plant known? It has long 

 been a favourite of mine, and year after year the first plant 

 I find of it is brought home, and commonly killed with 

 kindness. 



On the river bank we saw a DABCHICK. Why it 

 should have got ashore I cannot tell ; I never saw one out 

 of water before. When I observed it first, it was standing 

 bolt upright; but, the moment it spied us, it dropped 

 down on its breast, and tumbled head over heels into the 

 river. 



As we wound our way up a steep field by Milden's 

 Wood, I was within a tittle of stepping on the back of a 

 HARE. She had scratched out just enough of the sandy 

 soil to bring her back level with the surface ; one fore foot 

 was stuck straight out before her, and on this rested her 

 head ; her ears fell on her neck on each side, and touched 

 the ground : her eyes, large, bright, and black, were fixed 

 intently on me ; and the instant that my own eye caught 

 hers, I saw a slight movement ; the nose had slid off her 

 foot to the ground, and the other foot had been stretched 

 out : this movement had lowered her head, which was 

 now but a fraction above the level of the hill-side ; and so 

 exactly was she the colour of the surrounding soil, that, 

 but for the lustrous eye, I could not have persuaded myself 

 there was a living creature there. I pointed her out to my 

 friend, who, in his eagerness, had as nearly stepped on her 

 as I had. There we stood, about two yards apart, and 

 puss motionless as a stone between us. " I'll trouble you 

 to move, madam," said I, at the same time applying my 



