THE STOXE-CHAT 95 



woody slope and found myself soon in the middle of a 

 large moor. 



The pasture-commons were bordered by thick hedges 

 of brambles and woodbine ; these commons stretch to a 

 long distance, separated here and there by some rallior 

 barren fields, where, nevertheless, a meagre crop of gol- 

 den corn and light yellow oats was growing, marking 

 light sj)ots on the vast extent of the moor. 1 was turning 

 my back to the bay which was hidden from my view by 

 a wood of beeches, but 1 could hear the low, rythmical 

 rising and heaving of the sea. On a holly-covered hill, a 

 shepherd was watching his russet-brown cows buried up 

 to their knees in the greyish verdure of the furze. A ])io- 

 found silence, a great calm was reigning all around ; even 

 the light seemed to be toned down, the sun being veiled 

 by white clouds. Suddenly, I heard a low cry repeated 

 several times : Ouip ! tiay ! tiay ! Ouip! tiay, tiay ! And a 

 few steps off, swinging contentedly on a bit of woodbine, 

 I perceived my birdling of the museum, with its russet- 

 brown breast, the stone-chat of the she])herds. 



Perched on its unsteady stem, already impatient to 

 take its flight, it flew by short starts towards another 

 branch, where it would remain a few minutes and tlien 

 leave again for some other bough. It represented jierjie- 

 tual motion. .Uthough it never soared high, its bhick teet 

 never seemed to -touch I he branches, and they seem to 

 belono- lather to llie air than to the qronnd. While th(^ 



