THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 213 



there is always novelty ; but especially when the sun 

 sets behind the ruins of an old adjoining castle, casting 

 a glow upon the sky and lower landscape, it is delight- 

 ful to wander there. Just now my steps led me to a 

 point which a grand old heron daily visits. I found 

 there a profusion of emptied fresh-water mussels, and 

 another plump salmon, who had missed stays in the 

 receding flood and been left ashore. The effect of last 

 summer's heat has been beneficial there. A wide 

 extent of gravel, the grey tint of which harmonised 

 beautifully with the grass and water, got plentifully 

 seeded, and is now a bed of young trefoil and clover. 

 I could not traverse the whole, owing to the depth of 

 soft rich mud that the floods have left upon it. In 

 returning by a circuit over the meadow, I was surprised 

 by the number of partridge pairs that I disturbed, 

 arranging about the "marriage lines," I expect. There 

 •ouf^rht to be an abundance of birds next season. I am 

 always glad when many are left, they do so much good 

 in picking up grubs over the fallows. Some silly 

 farmers are already beginning to persecute and poison 

 the rooks, forgetting the infinite service they did in 

 -devouring the cockchafer by myriads in grub shape and 

 full uniform last season. But some selfish, shortsighted 

 beings there is no persuading. 



Although most heavily stocked I shall have a large 

 heap of mangold- wurzel to sell, for the late turnips and 

 stubble-sown rye-grass yield a vast amount of keep. 

 The grass seed turned out better than I expected, I 

 must allow. The water-meadow that we made this 

 winter has done wonders for the ewes and lambs, with 

 which, I am glad to say, we have done extremely well, 

 liaving lots of couples, and in one case a living trio of 



