76 An Ancient Garden. 



But then ' King Charles ' slept, according to local 

 tradition, in most of the old houses in the country-. 

 However, I resolved to visit the place. 



Tall yew hedges, reaching high overhead, thick 

 and impervious, such as could only be produced in 

 a hundred years of growth and countless clippings, 

 enclosing a green pleasaunce, the grass uncut for 

 many a year, weeds overrunning the smooth surface 

 on which the bowls once rolled true to their bias. 

 In the shelter of these hedges, upon the sunii}^ side, 

 you might walk in early spring when the east wind 

 is harshest, without a breath penetrating to chill the 

 blood, warm as within a cloak of sables, enjoying 

 that pecuhar genial feeling which is induced by sun- 

 shine at that period only, and which is somewhat 

 akin to the sense of convalescence after a weary 

 illness. Thus, sauntering to and fro, your footstep, 

 returning on itself, passed the thrush sitting on her 

 nest calm and confident. 



No modern exotic evergreens ever attract our 

 English birds like the true old English trees and 

 shrubs. In the box and yew they love to build ; 

 spindly laurels and rhododendrons, with vacant 

 draughty spaces underneath, they detest, avoiding 

 them as much as possible. The common hawthorn 

 hedge round a countiy garden shall contain three 

 times as many nests, and be visited by five times as 

 man}' birds, as the foreign evergreens, so costly to 

 rear and so sure to be killed by the first old-fashioned 

 frost. 



The thrushes are singularly fond of the yew berr}- ; 

 it is of a sticky substance, sweet and not unpleasant. 

 Holly berries, too, are eaten ; and holly hedges, 



