WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 21 



furrows made by the plough to see if their regular 

 grooves are broken by anything hiding therein. The 

 ploughmen usually take special care with their work 

 near public roads, so that the furrow's end on to the 

 base of the highway shall be mathematically straight. 

 They often succeed so well that the furrows look as 

 if traced with a ruler, and exhibit curious effects of 

 vanishing perspective. Along the furrow, just as it 

 ,is turned, there runs a shimmering light as the eye 

 traces it up. The ploughshare, heavy and drawn with 

 great force, smooths the earth as it cleaves it, giving 

 it for a time a " face/' as it were, the moisture on 

 which reflects the light. If you watch the farmers 

 driving to market, you will see that they glance up 

 the furrows to note the workmanship and look for 

 game ; you may tell from a distance if they espy 

 a hare by the check of the rein and the extended hand 

 pointing. 



The partridges, too, cower as they hear the noise of 

 wheels or footsteps ; but their brown backs, rounded 

 as they stoop, do not deceive the eye that knows full 

 weli the irregular shape taken by lumps of earth. 

 Both hares and rabbits may be watched with ease 

 from an elevation, and if you remain quiet will rarely 

 discover your presence while you are above them. 

 They keep a sharp lookout all round, but never think 

 of glancing upwards, unless, of course, some unusual 

 noise attracts attention. 



Looking away from the brow of the hill here over 

 the rampart, see, yonder in the narrow hollow a flock 



