142 ON SURREY HILLS. 



the sun, he only does what some members of the 

 human family do under similar circumstances 

 namely, loses his wits and comes to grief. When 

 the birds gather round him and mob him, if one has 

 discovered him napping, he is not much put out. 

 A clutch from the very powerful foot of the brown 

 owl puts one of the noisy crew into quietness. He 

 can see well enough in broad daylight. 



Close to the hill is Burford Bridge ; from that the 

 river runs to Mickleham and Norbury. Between 

 Burford and Mickleham is Pray Bridge : a very 

 ancient wooden structure once spanned the river 

 here. 



Through Norbury Park the river for some distance 

 takes the form of successive pools, for the Mole bur- 

 rows here. In a dry season it is very noticeable. 

 This is a favourite locality for painters, and very 

 beautiful. Not far from here is the Druids' Grove ; 

 some very old yew-trees are there. 



Returning one day from a fishing excursion near 

 Norbury, I passed the way-pole at the ford close to 

 the Pilgrims' Way. The day had been warm, but 

 a breeze had sprung up. Knowing that sometimes 

 a good trout had his home in the pool, I thought 



