78 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



running water, collided and ground shallow channel, where the rounding 

 against one another. The bosses and process was perfected. That is why 

 protuberances were worn down. Land no angular or intermediate shapes are 

 slides, the unceasing attrition of fine found among the gravels to-day. Once 

 sand, the clash of nodule against on the shingle-beach, the swirl of the 

 nodule, smoothed and rounded each waters acted on the pebbles until, in its 

 little mass of stones. Reaching the turn, the shoal was again elevated and 

 shore of the estuarine waters, the the rounded flints were left bare. Sub- 

 already bruised and abraded flints sequent denudation carved out the 

 were carried by powerful currents to a adjacent valleys and left these pebble 

 shoal at some distance from the land, hills standing as the last remnants of 

 To reach this bank they must cross a a retreating Tertiary barrier. 



XVI 

 ADVICE TO ADDER SEEKERS 



" Step softly, seal up all hate, for there lies sleeping 

 The gentle adder, as gentle as can be." 



TT has occurred to me that a few small, pays the children of his village 



hints or wrinkles on the subject sixpence for every dead adder or grass- 



of adder-seeking might prove service- snake they bring him. He does not 



able to some readers of this work, seeing distinguish between the two ophidians, 



that there are very many persons It is to be hoped that no such lover 



desirous of making the acquaintance of God's creatures, including His " wild 



of this rare and illusive reptile. They worms in woods," will take advantage 



wish to know it (at a safe distance) in of these hints. Let him that finds 



a state of nature, in its own home, and an adder treat it properly, not without 



have sought and have not found it. reverence, and his finding it will be to 



Quite frequently about once or twice his gain in knowledge of that rare and 



each week in summer I am asked by personal kind which cannot be written 



some one for instructions in the matter, or imparted in any way. That which 



One of my sweetest-tempered and we seek is not viper a berus, the subject 



most benevolent friends, who loves, of Fontana's monumental work, the 



he imagines, all things both great and little ropes of clay or dead flesh in the 



