140 



SUMMER 



mowers, but it is curious how very few the blade touches ; 

 and you have to watch like an owl or hawk to catch a sight 

 of them. Under your very eyes they will creep and glide 

 through the rough grass stubble, and little nap of short soft 

 blades, in almost perfect concealment. But when the fear is 

 over, and their playtime comes, they are more visible and more 

 vulnerable. The kestrel and the barndoor-owl have easier 

 hunting ; and within a short while the inhabitants of the field 

 that have not grassy nests at the roots of the grasses 

 discover that their home is irretrievably damaged, and are 

 off to corn-field, or wood, or stackyard. 



