Eggs. 179 
their way from tree to tree for miles ; they also come 
to the orchard by this hedge highway. As I have 
said before, it abuts on the orchard ; and a straight 
line carried across to the orchard wall, over that and 
the road outside, would strike another great hedge 
which, were it not for the intervention of the garden, 
would be a continuation of the first. The finches, 
after spending a little time in the apple and damson 
trees, fly over the wall and road to this second hedge, 
and follow it down for nearly half a mile to a little 
enclosed meadow, which, like the orchard, isa specially 
favourite resort. The fondness of birds for this route 
is very striking ; they are constantly passing up or 
down it. There is another such a favourite route at 
some distance, running beside a brook and likewise 
leading to the same enclosed meadow—of which more 
presently. I think I could make a map of these 
fields, showing the routes and resorts of furred and 
feathered creatures. 
Near the ha-ha wall, where the great meadow- 
hedge comes up to the orchard, is a summer-house, 
with a conical thatched roof and circular window. It 
is hung all round under the ceiling with festoons of 
eggs taken by the boys of the farmstead, cordially 
assisted by the carters’ lads when not at work. There 
may be perhaps forty varieties, arranged so as to 
increase in size from the tiny tomtits up to the large 
wood-pigeons, the peewits, corn-crake, and crow: 
some milk-white, others splotched with dark brown ° 
N2 
