106 THE ROE-DEER AND HARE. CHAP. vn. 



appearance of the birds and animals, were invariably 

 more numerous during the earlier part of the year. 

 In the spring and early part of summer they were 

 always the most lively. Towards the end of summer 

 the sounds became fewer and less animated ; and the 

 animals themselves did not appear so frequently. 

 Woods were the principal lodging-places of birds and 

 animals. There were fewer in the fields ; still fewer 

 among the rocks or shingle by the sea-shore, except 

 in winter ; and in the hills, the fewest of all. 



When he made his first night expeditions to the 

 inland country, the hoarse-like lark of the Roe-deer, 

 and the timid-like lleak-Ueak of the Hare, puzzled 

 him very much. He attributed these noises to other 

 animals, before he was able by careful observation to 

 attribute them to their true sources. Although the 

 deer wanders about at all hours of the night, occa- 

 sionally grunting or barking, it does not usually feed 

 at that time. The hare, on the other hand, feeds 

 even during the darkest nights, and in spring and the 

 early part of summer it utters its low cry of lleak-Ueak. 

 This cry is very different from that which it utters 

 when snared or half-shot. Its cry for help is then 

 most soul-pitying : it is like the tremulous voice of an 

 infant, even to the quivering of its little innocent lips. 



While Edward found that the deer and the hare 

 were among the animals that wandered about a good 

 deal in the dark, he did not find that the Eabbit 

 was a night-roamer, although he occasionally saw 



