XIV 

 VERMIN 



THE hill-side, the pine fringe, the pasture, and 

 the grain-field, together with the water- 

 courses which plough them, shelter other forms of 

 life than the grouse, the capercaillie, the blackcock, 

 and the partridge. 



If there was a time when the wild life of the 

 land was prized for its beauty, or that it lent 

 variety, and interest to the scene, or because Nature 

 seemed to have tinted it into exquisite sympathy 

 with its surroundings, such aesthetic canons no 

 longer prevail. And, if there is one who con- 

 siders a wood empty, when there are no longer any 

 wild creatures to cross ahead of him, or to come out 

 of their retreats, as he stands motionless against the 

 bole of a tree, his tastes have long since ceased to 

 be consulted. 



Every Sunday morning I used to pass a sweep 



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