THE IlECLUSE. 



rustled, in the nervousness of our desire to see him 

 more distinctly ; he heard it, and is on the watch. 

 Lo, he is gone! he dropped, like a stone, perpen- 

 dicularly into the pool below ; and yet not like a 

 stone, for he made no splash, and we are amazed 

 that so large a body could be immersed from so 

 great a distance, and yet produce scarcely a per- 

 ceptible disturbance of the surface. 



The little grebes, too, have taken the warning ; 

 they are gone, all but the faithful mother on the 

 nest. She yet lingers ; but we shew ourselves, and 

 advance; and now she jumps into the green water, 

 and disappears ; and all is as still and sombre as 

 if we were gazing on a grave. 



In our sequestered rural districts we have a 

 little animal not uncommon, almost the tiniest of 

 all quadrupeds, the water-shrew, whose graceful 

 form and pleasing habits are very seldom seen, 

 because of its cautious timidity. With great care 

 it may, however, be occasionally detected in its 

 gambols, and, with due precaution, watched. The 

 following charming picture of the little creature at 

 freedom, all unconscious of observation, has been 

 drawn by Mr. Dovaston: — <; On a delicious even- 

 ing, far in April, 1825, a little before sunset, strol- 

 ling in my orchard, beside a pool, and looking 

 into the clear water for insects I expected about 

 that time to come out, I was surprised by seeing 

 what I momentarily imagined to be some very 

 large beetle, dart with rapid motion, and suddenly 

 disappear. Laying myself down, cautiously and 

 motionless, on the grass, I soon, to my delight 

 and wonder, observed it was a mouse. I repeat- 

 edly marked it glide from the bank under water, 

 and bury itself in the mass of leaves at the bot- 

 tom ; I mean the leaves that had fallen off the 

 trees in autumn, and which lay very thick over 

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