SUBJECT CONTINUED. 115 



ralist was now interrupted by a brook, which 

 sparkled across the road over a clear sandy bed, 

 and here too the labours of the little miner had 

 been stopped in that direction ; but then he turned 

 aside, and his galleries might be traced into the 

 fields at a moderate distance from the stream. The 

 naturalist still continued his investigation, intend- 

 ing, if possible, to discover the animal whose labours 

 had excited his curiosity ; but as he approached the 

 brink of the rivulet something suddenly retreated 

 towards the grass, and seemed to vanish almost 

 instantaneously. While carefully examining the 

 spot from which the creature had disappeared, 

 another gallery, or burrow, attracted notice, though 

 small, and differently constructed. It was formed 

 in the grass, and vain would have been the attempt 

 to follow all its windings, as it opened in various 

 directions, and ran irregularly into the field and 

 towards the brook. This clearly belonged to a 

 family of different habits from the owner of the 

 subterraneous passage. The naturalist did not at 

 this time follow up his inquiries, but, a few 

 mornings after, he again resumed his favourite 

 pursuit, and set forth at that early hour 



When every quivering bent and blade 

 Stoops bowing with a diamond drop. 



The green lane looked still more inviting; a soft 

 breeze gently shook the branches of the trees that 

 drooped above it, beautiful blossoms opened to the 

 sun, and gay-coated insects flew humming in and 

 out of the grassy banks. No particular change was 

 perceptible in the work of the industrious miner, 



I 2 



