I 



WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



thirty or forty young ones ! In a good season, 

 that is to say when the weather is fine and 

 warm and enemies are few, each pair, supposing 

 they had five families of nine or ten apiece, 

 would have from forty to fifty little voles. 

 No wonder that under these circumstances 

 they increase until they become a perfect plague. 

 The grass becomes riddled with their runs, 

 all that is good and green is eaten, only brown 

 withered stuff remains. Short of food, the in- 

 creasing swarms stray into the woods, kitchen 

 gardens, and wherever there is anything green 

 to eat, and do great damage to all sorts of plants. 

 In the meanwhile the owls and hawks are 

 enjoying themselves most thoroughly, eating 

 mice all day and every day until so gorged 

 they cannot swallow even one more. Owls 

 and hawks from other districts, somehow or 

 other discovering the good things that are to be 

 had, arrive to share the feast; indeed birds 

 of prey come from all sides, and dogs, cats, and 

 foxes gorge themselves day after day. Still 

 the mice increase, fields are gnawed bare, 

 trees are barked in the woodlands, and the 

 damage done becomes so very serious that 

 everybody tries to put a stop to the plague. 

 There have been many plagues such as described, 

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