THE SPRING OF 1908 305 



effects later in the year. The year 1907 was a very 

 bad Partridge season, and the inauspicious start 

 in 1908 must have been disheartening to those 

 who are interested in the sport afforded by the 

 " little brown bird." The Partridge, of course, 

 is a ground nesting bird, and any of our smaller 

 feathered favourites that were tempted to build 

 their family nurseries were, I am afraid, doomed 

 to bitter disappointment. 



The late leafing of the trees, if nothing else, was 

 sufficient cause for us to exclaim, " Where is the 

 Spring? " I have never known the foliage and 

 flowers so far behind, and although the Hawthorn 

 was flecked with green here and there in late 

 April, the countryside generally had even then a 

 wintry look, and it was left for the sunny hours 

 of May to complete what April had failed to 

 accomplish. 



Walking along a hedgerow early in May an old 

 nest of some kind was discovered. It was just a 

 baU of dead grasses, carelessly thrown together, 

 but the structure was decidedly ball-shaped. 

 Curiosity prompted the finder to look inside. A 

 remarkable sight met his gaze, for there, snugly 

 ensconced in the centre of the habitation was a 

 Dormouse enjoying its Winter slumber. The 

 little fawn-coloured rodent was rolled up in a ball, 

 feet to feet, long tail brought right over his head, 

 eyes tightly closed, an illustration of a wonderful 



