202 ON SURREY HILLS. 



The road leads past high banks, evidently land- 

 slips, where the stone in huge blocks crops out, 

 covered in places by tufts of the yellow broom. Birch- 

 trees are plentiful what we should consider fine 

 specimens for this district reaching thirty to forty 

 feet in height. It is not often that such birches are to 

 be seen in the south of England. Black game are 

 about, for we have just flushed three. In climbing the 

 landslip part we set a lot of stones rolling and startled 

 the birds, which sprang from some rush-cover at the 

 bottom. Mountain-ash and junipers show, and great 

 Scotch firs in clumps. Rabbits dot all round about, 

 exceedingly good food for the foxes and badgers ; to 

 say nothing of the buzzards, the common buzzards, 

 which are so very variable in their plumage, that 

 varieties have been taken for distinct species. 



The rough-legged buzzard, that dwarf eagle, pays 

 a visit here at times to feed on these pinwire dotters. 

 The honey buzzard comes also. Of course these 

 wide-winged beauties are shot or trapped, nothing else 

 could be expected of an undiscerning public. We 

 jog on merrily here ; we are in a brighter land than 

 we were yesterday ; there is no dampness, no tor- 

 ment from stoat-flies or midges. This glorious stretch 



