20 THE INCOMING OF SUMMER 

 wholly of moss fetched from a bank in the 

 sunken lane. 



The whitethroat and his mate have jerked 

 away, the willow bird slipped upstream, the 

 cock-wren with cocked tail is stuttering 

 an alarm. Down by the water's edge a 

 reddish animal nibbles a shoot held in its 

 paws. Perceiving that it has no hostile 

 bearing, the wren is silent. At the slightest 

 movement the vole will dive with a musical 

 and hollow plop into the water and swim 

 to concealment. Quietly it finishes the 

 sappy stalk, then creeps under a thick stem 

 of cow-parsley, the florets of which are 

 budding. Finches pass over, calling to 

 each other, and a silver chirruping announces 

 a wagtail. He alights on a smooth gray 

 boulder, slender in outline and poised on 

 fragile legs, flaunting a breast of daffodil. 

 The hen-bird follows, and they perch 

 together. Their long tails move as though 

 to maintain an earthly balance, so faery- 

 frail are they. She leaves him, flitting in 



