76 NATURE'S STORY OF THE YEAR 



limbs against a sloping pollard, or on the rail of 

 a broken fence, while Fancy, relieved from the 

 duties of a pioneer to trade, may lave his dust in 

 the water, peep at the modest flower, or dart to 

 the thickets, down the track of a cuckoo's note. 

 Here is always something worth notice the vole, 

 clumsy and stupid ; the water-shrew, less often 

 seen, but more pleasing ; the gaudy fly passing 

 like a dream into the distance of forgetfulness ; 

 the occasional agileffish ; the never-ending move- 

 ment and all the varied voices of the water. 

 Here the mind can escape from the certain to 

 the possible, to create its own feast of beauty and 

 sing its own song. 



Following the course of the stream, we may 

 probably enter a dell where the trees are tangled 

 in a maze above the water, which is doubly shaded 

 by their crooning arms. Here are the nooks 

 where Flora dwells, and the corners where the 

 wren and robin are nesting. Here the wings of 

 moth or butterfly may ring the changes of the 

 bluebell, and murmur in the bugle, on banks 

 frosted with broad-leaved garlic, or red with 

 London-pride. 



