AMONG THE HILLS. 67 



the time I could spare from my business was given 

 to looking at things, as they termed it, and making 

 pictures of some of them, the kind souls would have 

 made a perfect Noah's ark of my small dwelling. 

 I had, at times, to use no small amount of diplomacy 

 to avoid hurting their feelings by refusals to accept 

 certain birds or beasts. At last I was compelled 

 to tell them I had given up keeping things in the 

 house, and I sent all my stands and cages away. 

 Only a favourite brown owl was allowed to remain, 

 and he perched on my knee or shoulder, no matter 

 what time I came in of the day or the night. He 

 learned to know my footsteps, and would watch for 

 me like a dog. 



For the last thirty years I have not used a gun ; a 

 good field-glass has taken its place. 



Besides the birds I have mentioned as being found 

 on our hills, all the finches and the soft-billed birds 

 are well represented, blackbirds, song and missel 

 thrushes, ring-ousels at certain times more or less, 

 fieldfares and redwings, wild geese, wild ducks, heron, 

 woodcock, snipe and plover, black game, pheasants, 

 and partridges. The woodpecker family is in full 

 force : we have the green, and the black and white 



