IN FLIGHT TIME 177 
require rivers, brooks, swamps, pools, and ponds, 
mile upon mile of broken ground and rough cover 
and, above all, solitude. 
Come with me to the woods that cover the tops 
of the hills as far as the eye can reach. Great open 
downs break the masses of woodlands ; but look 
where you will, around or in front, in the valleys 
below or in the far distance, there are the woods 
which, in past times, reached, almost unbroken, from 
London to the south coast. Wanderers from the 
beaten tracks who are familiar with this country can 
travel over old bridle paths, still open, leading from 
one county to another. Breaks occur here and there, 
but they can be picked up again ; and only in this 
way can the real beauty of the district be rightly 
seen and understood. 
Some of my critics have observed that if the 
exact names of localities referred to had been given, 
our readers would have been better pleased. So, for 
the benefit of such, let me map out one day's good 
walk, supposing the would-be naturalist to take the 
first train down from London, which reaches Dorking 
at seven in the morning. From the railway station a 
path leads up the hill to Ranmore Common, over 
which a good road runs to the edge of the wooded 
downs which stretch as far as Guildford ; and if the 
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