A SNAKE IN EDEN 129 



the moment another point in this episode may be under 

 lined. In hunts that are proud to kill &quot; a May fox &quot; the 

 cub might have fallen a season before its time. Now, in 

 my experience and, however limited and partial, it goes 

 for something almost all our mammals breed earlier 

 than the conventional dates. Botanically, most of us 

 antedate spring. Zoologically, most of us post-date it ; 

 and by a large margin. Last year I came upon quite active 

 leverets in the first week of February. Many otters breed 

 during the height of the hunting season ; and in general 

 the dates for the close seasons, whether legal or practical, 

 are thoroughly unscientific in regard both to mammals 

 and birds ; but with birds we know at least the pairing 

 and breeding dates. With mammals we do not ; and 

 so various are opinions on what should be matters of 

 fact that, even among country people, many still hold 

 that a hare has only two young at a birth. As for the 

 toothed trap, at any time, breeding or other ! 



3- 



We leant over the edge of a little low bridge to 

 watch the brown waters of the Lea roll down towards 

 the Thames, from the old mill (honourably mentioned 

 in Domesday) and the old inn that are two of the 

 glories of the fair village of Wheathampstead, a village 

 that not even the latest and least lovely additions can 

 spoil. We assembled to look at the river and see 

 what we could see of its teeming life. But observation 

 from a different direction was forced on us. One of the 

 lookers gave a little scream of surprise ; and it was not 

 without excuse. A bat had fallen from the bough of a 

 sycamore overhead ; and a bat on the nape of the neck 

 may well startle the most iron nerves. The little animal 



I T.V.E. 



