Contents ix 



PAGE 



CHAPTER XXXVI 



Swifts Powers of flight Hibernation Seeing in the dark Oriental 

 behaviour Ideal flying - machines Marvels of nature Freemasonry 

 amongst Swifts Excessive destruction of insects Devil's birds Methody 

 devils Swallows and Martins Jenny Spinners Life of an insect 

 Nature's balance upset by man The difficulty of readjusting it . . 292 



CHAPTER XXXVII 



Bats Drinking dew Superstitions A Nature-lesson Powers of vision 

 Noctule and Rooks Bat chased by an Owl Edible Swifts' nests Bats, 

 Swifts, and birds of prey in Borneo Cockchafer and Bat A chain of 

 destruction . . . . . . . .' . . . 305 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 



Badgers Superstitions concerning Otters Rats Assurance of A Water 

 Hen's nest Tracks in the snow A bottomless pit Devils Keeping 

 the Ducks off the spawning redds . . . . . .318 



CHAPTER XXXIX 



Squirrels And Stoats A tree-climbing Stoat Foresters' friends Sure- 

 footed animals Weasel superstitions Fairies A mouse hunt Stoat 

 and Vole Stoat's larder Eels in winter An amphibious cat . . 325 



CHAPTER XL 



Martens Comparative harmlessness of Pursuit of elusive dollar A young 

 Marten Variations in Marten Marten and Polecat Tracking in snow 

 Food, and footprints of Marten Homecoming of Reconnoitring of 

 the beyond Shooting foxes Mange in foxes A hunting Marten 

 Craig Llyn Dyfi Legend of Marten and Buzzard . . . 333 



CHAPTER XLI 



Nests of birds of prey Sparrow Hawk's nest Nest-building instincts 

 Hawks not deserting nests Moving a nest As bright as a Hawk's eye 

 Method in its madness Repairing damaged feathers Mesmeric 

 power of animals Powers of Vision Birds recognising different kinds 

 of Hawks . . . "i. . . . . 347 



CHAPTER XLII 



Hawks catching beetles Nightjars Other soft- winged children of the night 

 Stage whispers Superstitions Notes of the Nightjar Its flight 

 Distribution of pollen Study of a feather A wonder of Nature . . 356 



CHAPTER XLIII 



Green Woodpeckers Ants Parasitic Worms Hewholes Retrogression 

 Wild cherries Turn of the leaf Plumage of Woodpeckers Tongue of 

 Stock Doves Falcon and Pigeon A stern chase Problems of 

 Nature Ignorance of suffering Homer Pigeons The risk of a race- 

 Stock Dove's nests And names Value of Fir trees Planting for game 

 or timber Lessons in modification Buarthmeini St Tudor Lizards 

 and Snakes . . . . . . . . 362 



