184 Peacock: The Pollard Willow. 



a sweet briar-bush which o;rew in the garden hard by. One of 

 the seeds that she had not nibbled put forth roots, and before 

 the end of summer was growing- into a Httle sprigf. The g"rasses 

 of the previous year had seeded, and these also sprung up, only 

 to die down after reproducing their kind, the hot August 

 weather being too much for them. However, the briar throve; 

 and grew. The mere sprig of twenty odd years or more ago is 

 now a large bush with long trailing branches reaching down to 

 the waters of the fish-pond. The bole of this Willow is about 

 six feet in length, but wind and weather have made the old 

 pollard trees lean somewhat at an acute angle over the pond, 

 some of the boughs hanging into the water itself. Here in the 

 spring comes the Toad [Bufo viilgaris), with her husband at her 

 back, to twine her string of eggs from twig to branch and branch 

 to twig. Perch {Perca fluviatiUs), Roach [Leiiciscus rutilus). 

 Dace {L. vulgaris), and Tench {Tinea vulgaris) love this place, 

 as also does the slimy Bream {Abramis brarna), for in winter the 

 depths of the pool are warm and in summer's heat the trees 

 make a cool shade. The Kingfisher {Alcedo ispida), too, has 

 a particular liking for this spot and haunts it frequently. On 

 one occasion a Fox ( Viilpes vulpes) that was hard pressed made 

 for some Willow trees we know well. He could easily mount up 

 the inclined trunk, and when once amongst the boughs he found 

 no difficulty in getting into a fairly snug place, on a limb that 

 reached some fifteen feet over the pond ; here he remained, the 

 hounds being quite at fault. Those who had watched him were 

 by far too pleased with his clever action to betray his lurking- 

 place. Badgers {Meles meles) and Otters {Lutra Intra) have 

 both been known to lay up and bring forth young in the fast- 

 nesses of its roots. The roots extend many feet into the hig'h 

 bank that borders on the pond. Otters are now no more, 

 and the Badger is nigh extinct in the district we speak of; 

 but yet an odd one comes at times, and when this is the 

 case the Willow row bank is sure to become his home as 

 long as he makes a sojourn in the neighbourhood. From the 

 tallest and largest Willow grows a Mountain Ash tree, whose 

 bright scarlet berries tempt many a bird to come and feed. 

 Brambles, Elders, Raspberry, Gooseberry, Briars, Thorns, Black- 

 thorn, and various grasses and other plants have taken root in 

 one or another of the decaying crowns. For years now the axe 

 and bill-hook have not been used, so they form quite a thick 

 mass from each stole top. Birds of various orders come here 

 each season to nest as sure as the spring arrives. Waterhens . 



Naturalist, . 



