160 IN THE GREEN LEAF 



long-tailed cattle, the wood-mice. They are 

 handsome little creatures, and quite harmless 

 in their own domain, the fields and hedges, 

 although when they get out of bounds, they 

 work sad mischief. But as stoats, weasels, and 

 owls look after them very closely, the mice are 

 kept within due limits, if those self-appointed 

 rural police are allowed to do their duty in their 

 own fashion. 



The yellow irises and the kingcups no longer 

 light up the dark bush meadows ; purple loose- 

 strife and the cream-tinted meadow-sweet have 

 taken their places, showing fine masses of con- 

 trasting colours. Moorhens, with their families 

 as many little ones as the otters and the pike 

 have left to the parents travel nimbly here 

 and there, flirting up their tails and nodding 

 their heads ; or they swim in and out of the 

 rush-clumps and through the water-lily leaves. 



Near some high gravelly bank that slopes 

 direct to the water you may, if you know where 

 to look, see a family of kingfishers that have 

 not yet parted company. It gives me pleasure 

 to be able to state that I have not seen the 

 wings, or head and wings, of this handsome bird 

 on a lady's hat for a long time. When they 

 were used for that purpose some brooks and 



