Pheasant-Stalking 235 



felt that harm was intended. The pheasant had 

 been walking about in the corner where the hedges 

 met, but now he went in ; still, as he entered the 

 hedge in a quiet way, he did not appear to be alarmed. 

 The sheep, tired of being constantly driven from their 

 food, now sheered out from the hedge, and allowed 

 me to go by. 



As I passed I gathered a few haws and ate them. 

 The reason why birds do not care much for berries 

 before they are forced to take to them by frost is 

 because of the stone within, so that the food afforded 

 by the berries is really small. Yew-berries are an 

 exception ; they have a stone, but the covering to it 

 is sweet, succulent, and thick, and dearly loved by 

 thrushes. In the ditch the tall grasses, having 

 escaped the scythe, bowed low with the weight of 

 their own awn-like seeds. 



The corner was not far off now ; and I waited 

 awhile behind a large hawthorn bush growing on the 

 4 shore* of the ditch, thinking that I might see the 

 pheasant on the mound, or that at least he would 

 recover confidence if he had previously heard any- 

 thing. Inside the bush was a nest already partly 

 filled with fallen leaves, like a little basket. 



A rabbit had been feeding on the other side, but 

 now, suspicious, came over the bank, and, seeing me, 



