CHAP. vi. DISAGREEABLE VISITORS. 97 



he secured and boxed, sending them to their long 

 sleep with a little drop of chloroform. When it 

 rained heavily, he drew in his head and his gun, and 

 slept until the first streaks of light appeared on the 

 horizon ; and then he came out of his hole and pro- 

 ceeded with his operations. 



At other times he would take up his quarters foi 

 the night in some disused buildings in a barn, a 

 ruined castle, or a churchyard. He usually obtained 

 better shelter in such places than if he were seated 

 by the side of a stone, a bush, or a wall. His principal 

 objection to them was, that he had a greater number 

 of visitors there than elsewhere, such as polecats, 

 weasels, bats, rats, and mice, not to speak of hosts 

 of night-wandering insects, such as molluscs, beetles, 

 slaters, and centipedes. Think of having a polecat 

 or a weasel sniff-sniffing at your face while asleep ! 

 Or two or three big rats tug-tugging at your pockets, 

 and attempting to steal away your larder. These 

 visitors, however, did not always prove an annoy- 

 ance. On the contrary, they sometimes proved a 

 windfall ; for, when they came within reach, they 

 were suddenly seized, examined, and, if found neces- 

 sary, killed, stuffed, and added to the collection. 



The coldest places in which Edward slept at night, 

 were among the rocks by the seaside, on the shingle, 

 or on the sea-braes along the coast. When exposed to 

 the east wind, these sleeping-places were perishingly 

 eolcl When he went inland he could obtain better 



a 



