6 BY MEADOW AND STREAM. 



Never since have I seen such woods for hazel 

 bushes, nor such bushes for profusion of nuts, " brown 

 shellers " of the largest and sweetest kind. 



Our baskets were soon filled, and we played "hide 



and seek " in the bushes. We chased each other 



home across the green meadows, and gaily looked 



forward to the time for another such an autumn day, 



" One of those heavenly days that cannot die " 



and hoped that our "sprightly Carry" would be there 

 and ready again to shout, 



"All boys and girls come nutting." 



SHOOTING. 



As boys of ten or twelve we were very unwisely 

 allowed the use of a gun. What glorious fun it was 

 (and wonderful that we did not shoot each other) 

 when we started off on a spring evening to the big 

 fields about a mile away from home, which were for a 

 long distance bounded by a wood. Here we stalked 

 and fired at scores of rabbits out in the field feeding 

 on the young oats and barley just peeping above the 

 ground. We fired through hedges or gates, and 

 sometimes we actually killed one. 



RAT-CATCHING. 



Another fine time of excitement was when the rat- 

 catcher came with ferrets and half a dozen terriers to 

 clear the wheat ricks of rats and mice. Ferrets were 

 put into the runs, whilst dogs, men and boys with 

 clubs, stood in anxious expectancy all round the ricks. 

 Presently a rat makes a bolt, and Towser, or Bob, or 



