Hung with Festoons of Eggs 145 



finches. But the tomtits are : they work their way from 

 tree to tree for miles ; they also come to the orchard by this 

 hedge highway. As I have said before, it abuts on the 

 orchard ; and a straight line carried across to the orchard 

 wall, over that and the road outside, would strike another 

 great hedge which, were it not for the intervention of the 

 garden, would be a continuation of the first. The finches, 

 after spending a little time in the apple and damson trees, 

 fly over the wall and road to this second hedge, and follow 

 it down for nearly half a mile to a little enclosed meadow, 

 which, like the orchard, is a specially favourite resort. The 

 fondness of birds for this route is very striking ; they are 

 constantly passing up or down it. There is another such 

 favourite route at some distance, running beside a brook 

 and likewise leading to the same enclosed meadow of 

 which more presently. I think I 'could make a map of 

 these fields, showing the routes and resorts of furred and 

 feathered creatures. 



Near the ha-ha wall, where the great meadow-hedge 

 comes up to the orchard, is a summer-house, with a conical 

 thatched roof and circular window. It is hung all round 

 under the ceiling with festoons of eggs taken by the boys of 

 the farmstead, cordially assisted by the carter's lads when 

 not at work. There may be perhaps forty varieties, arranged 

 so as to increase in size from the tiny tomtits up to the 

 large wood-pigeons, the peewits, corn-crake, and crow : some 

 milk-white, others splotched with dark brown spots and 

 veins, others again blue. These eggs, when taken and the 

 yolk blown out, were strung on a bennet and so carried 

 home. The lads like to get them as soon after laid as pos- 

 sible, because they blow best then ; if hard set the shell 

 may break. 



In the circular window they have left a nest of the long- 



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