46 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



garden fences, and brought off their broods un- 

 molested in happiness and peace. 



What home could have been more congenial to 

 one who regarded all birds with feelings of the 

 keenest interest, not to say affection, and whose 

 movements and voices were to him a never-ending 

 source of delight ? He thoroughly appreciated his 

 new abode, and in later years was often heard to 

 confess that if, by some compelling power, he were 

 forced to confine himself for the remainder of his 

 days within the limits of his own garden, such a 

 decree would not in any way distress him. 



From whichever side you approach Nunburn- 

 holme, the view is a pleasant one ; and to one who, 

 like its late rector, had a keen appreciation for the 

 beauties of nature, whether animate or inanimate, 

 the many and varied walks in the parish and 

 neighbourhood gave endless supplies of interest, 

 to which his published writings so frequently bore 

 witness. 



To strangers the wold country, pure and simple, 

 is apt to appear lonesome and monotonous. True, 

 the district is sparsely populated and somewhat 

 uniform in its character, but the trim, well-cultivated, 

 and extensive farms which cover its surface give it 

 an appearance of prosperity and richness which 

 compares favourably with many other parts of 

 England. The freshness and dryness of the air 

 makes it peculiarly healthy ; and although the 

 eastern blasts in March can bite keenly, yet the 

 lack of dampness in the soil renders the country 



