n6 A Midland Village: Garden and Meadow. 



land, woods, and hills, and also here and there a 

 few acres of scrubby heath and gorse ; and the 

 only requisite we lack is a large sheet of water or 

 marshy ground, which might attract the waders 

 and sea-birds so commonly found near Oxford. 

 We are neither too far north to miss the southern 

 birds, nor too far south to see the northern ones 

 occasionally ; we might with advantage be a little 

 farther east, but we are not too far west to miss 

 the Nightingale from our coverts. 



Such a position and variety would be sure to 

 produce a long list of birds, both residents and 

 visitors ; not only because there are localities at 

 hand suited to be their dwelling-places during the 

 whole or a part of the year, but because they offer 

 the change of scene and food which is essential to 

 the welfare of many species. An open country of 

 heath and common will not abound in birds of 

 more than a very few species, unless it is varied 

 with fertile oases, with garden, orchard, or 

 meadow ; for many of the birds that delight to 

 play about in the open, and rove from place to 

 place during the first few months of their exist- 

 ence, will need for their nests and young the 



