332 MY COUNTRY WANDERINGS 



falls, a wary Fox, a restless Field Mouse, or other 

 wild tenant of this woodland glade. 



Peering through an opening in the trees on to 

 the field adjoining, our prism glasses enable us to 

 perceive several Hares, but our attention is soon 

 distracted therefrom, for a noisy Ring Dove is 

 abruptly startled from its hiding-place in the 

 sombre Firs; a Sparrow Hawk pitches on a tree 

 directly in front of us; a Robin perches on a 

 naked Hazel stem ; and barely a pace or two away 

 a Hedge Sparrow takes up his station, and both 

 species vie with each other in song, and utter 

 pleasing competitive lays as we depart from the 

 woodland during the fast coming of the gloaming 

 hour. 



IX. THE WARS OF THE ROSES 



It happened like this. Smith and Brown were 

 greatly fond of their gardens, and vied with each 

 other as to which could grow the finest floral 

 treasures. The competition between these two 

 budding amateurs came to such a pitch that both 

 decided to give up a considerable portion of their 

 gardens to Rose-growing, and The Wars of the 

 Roses were in an embryo stage. That Summer 

 Smith and Brown attended the Temple Rose 

 Show, and, notebooks in hand, examined with 

 loving and critical eyes the great variety of Roses 

 there displayed. They did not visit the Show in 



