48 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



saw a squirrel descending the tree, and in its mouth 

 was a baby rook. The little thief passed within a 

 yard of me, and then silently went on its way. 

 Lapwings were daily seen in the meadows, and alto- 

 gether we found a grand variety of bird life here. 



All this shows what protection will do. This year 

 we hope to find an increased number of our 

 feathered friends ; the more we see of them and the 

 more we hear of their music, the more we love them. 

 I wish there were more of these estates, where the 

 birds are so well protected. Often the protection of 

 birds on an estate is left to the discrimination of 

 keepers ; if such men are ignorant, and simply follow 

 stock ideas and imaginations of their simple and 

 more ignorant predecessors, there is very little hope 

 for our birds. Happily there are many keepers who 

 are also naturalists and take an interest in the birds 

 on the estates. Let anyone who doubts my state- 

 ments at the beginning of this chapter give them a 

 trial, and I can guarantee that the result will be a 

 pleasant surprise ; they will live in a place surrounded 

 on all sides with scenes of happiness and avian music; 

 and if they will often walk abroad in the fields and 

 woods, the birds will get to know them, and will not 

 fly from their path. There is nothing more pleasing 

 than to make friends with the wild denizens of wood- 

 land, field, or stream. 



