158 THE ROLL OF THE SEASONS 



breeze enough stirring to advertise through the trees 

 our deceptive banquet. We lay the snares in a circle 

 of nearly a mile in circumference, first striking 

 through the thicker part of the wood, then keeping 

 mostly on the outskirt till our starting-place is 

 reached. There is no need to hurry, and we fully 

 enjoy the beauty of late evening as we silently pass 

 from tree to tree. A robin accompanies us for some 

 hundreds of yards, and we wonder whether he will 

 be the first to profit from our proceedings by snapping 

 up some spider or other creature that the " sugar " 

 disturbs by its trickle in the cracks of the bark or 

 allures from its seat at the base of the trunk. As for 

 the squirrel, who also takes very particular note of 

 our unusual action, it is fairly certain that he will 

 investigate our work before we are fairly out of sight. 

 It is of course certain that dozens of other inhabitants 

 are aware of our presence, but conceal their own from 

 us. Here, for instance, is a chance for the honey- 

 loving mouse to taste a new delight without our being 

 a whit the wiser. 



On the first round we scarcely saw a moth a 

 carpet or two that we disturbed while brushing 

 through the bushes, one or two pugs at rest on the 

 grey oak trunks, an early yellow underwing buzzing 

 round an ivied elm, and few, if any, more. We start 

 again when the treacle has been on the first tree for 

 nearly an hour. Half a dozen fat-bodied moths are 

 careering round the attractive centre, and one more 

 greedy than the rest is licking up the syrup with its 

 long and eager tongue, its large eyes glaring like live 

 coals and its wings so quivering with ecstasy that we 

 can scarcely make out the insignia of its species. 



