AUGUST. 219 



venerable Evelyn, affordeth so cool a shade as 

 the willow ; and thus agreeably hidden, you 

 may often catch glimpses of the habits of the 

 shyer and smaller animals ; traits which perhaps 

 have yet escaped the naturalist, and which may 

 tend to eradicate those ignorant prejudices so 

 cruel and oppressive to many of the innocent 

 commoners of nature. The water-rat is con- 

 sidered a common thief, and is killed wherever 

 he is found. If you watch him in his secluded 

 streams, you will quickly discern that his food 

 is almost entirely the herbage which grows in 

 them, and especially the leaf of the arrow- 

 head. I have seen him repeatedly sally forth 

 from his retreat, crop a leaf of arrow-head and 

 bear it away in his mouth by the stem, as the 

 dove is drawn returning to the ark with the 

 olive branch. Who would not find a greater 

 gratification in watching the happy and unde- 

 structive habits of a timid little creature than 

 in shooting it, or worrying it with dogs? I do 

 not mean to say that these, or any other wild 

 animals, should be suffered to increase till they 

 become nuisances, but in moderate numbers 

 I would let them enjoy God's good gifts of life 

 and sunshine ; and if they must be the victims 

 of our rights, they should never be the objects 

 of our wantonness. 



While speaking of the habits of animals I 



