MAMMALS I HAVE STALKED 105 



also that it is a capital swimmer. I have seen it take to water 

 freely when pursued by a Terrier Dog. , It swims with ease and 

 facility, keeping its head and back just out of the water, and is 

 a tough customer to handle even when it comes to land, as it 

 takes the precaution to roll into a ball, and thus becomes immune 

 from attack. 



. 44. HEDGEHOG. 



In the depth of Winter, when rambling in leaf -strewn copse or 

 ditch, I sometimes disturb the Hedgehog during its hibernation, 

 as, like the Dormouse, it is no lover of the cold, and prefers to 

 pass the Winter months fast asleep in some sheltered retreat. 



I am a great lover of the Hare, and, although I have never 

 stalked any creature except with a bloodless intent through a 

 field glass, I have obtained a great deal of quiet enjoyment in 

 thus studying these four-footed inhabitants of our large fields 

 and breezy common lands, so characteristic of homely Hertford- 

 shire near the northern extremity of the county. When bird- 

 watching in such a district, Hares have all unexpectedly jumped 

 up from beneath my feet, having squatted in a " form " until 

 I almost trod upon them. At other times, as I have been seated 

 upon an inviting bank, close by a gap in the hedge, a fleet-footed 

 Hare has shot through the gap at lightning speed, turning 

 abruptly round to eye me as I shouted after it. The look of 

 astonishment on the animal's face may be better imagined than 

 described. I have fondled baby Hares called Leverets 

 which I have caught napping. They are winsome little beasts, 

 bright-eyed and large-eared, even in infancy, and make a strong 

 appeal to those who are interested in the child life of wild Nature. 



The haunt of the Hare is one of unlimited freedom. It roams 

 at will the wide expanse of territory at its command, as the Lark 



