78 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



feed in the gardens, might easily be taken for the 

 dormouse, unless the tail of the pretty bright-eyed 

 creature was noticed. For both frequent the 

 hedges ; the dormouse has his grass nest above, 

 the wood-mouse has his nest below. Both creatures 

 are fawn-coloured above and lighter tinted under- 

 neath ; one mark serves to distinguish them when 

 they are seen running close to each other the dor- 

 mouse has a bushy tail, that of the wood-mouse is 

 finer. 



If the hedge - banks are examined now all the 

 tangle is dry and bare for only the stems of the 

 mulleins, foxgloves, and ferns remain some of the 

 clever shifts of the migrants, in order to avoid 

 detection, will be seen. There is the nest you 

 took so much trouble to find : you can see now 

 why you did not succeed ; for a large root-leaf of 

 the mothmullein hung directly over the entrance 

 to the nest, the nest itself being worked into a root- 

 hollow. There it shows plainly enough now, with 

 the mid-rib of the leaf still hanging there. As to 

 the tree-pipit's nest, well, your feet have passed 

 over it, without stepping on it, twenty times. 



Two keen bird-nesters, who could climb like cats, 



