DANGERS OF THE GROUND 



55 



of nesting just beyond the shelter of a furze-bush, will defy 

 the most prying eyes, though the neighbourhood of the nest 

 is obvious enough. Larks, which build without protection 

 in the open, suffer very little from weather, and are seldom 

 pounced upon, thanks to a subtle sense of protective 

 selection ; and their fondness for very dry commons is no 

 little protection against the rains of June. How snug the 

 chats sit under a diaphanous canopy, that keeps off rain but 



not the sweet air. There is enjoyment as well as caution in 

 the round-about approach to the nest, and ecstasy in the 

 quick final run down the pathway passage. The common is 

 a safe and lovely place for all the family : for the cock who 

 sings lustily on the top spray, vaunting his fine colours that 

 all the world may see ; for the hen, quick with the thoughts 

 of maternity in the soft nook the two have chosen and 

 selected ; for the chicks when they come to growth and hear 

 the parent birds scuttling along the private path, secret from 

 all intruders' ears and eyes. 



