Lost. 259 
hedge, or look through a gateway into the cornfield, 
you may be almost certain of seeing one at least ; in 
-a morning’s walk in summer I have often seen two or 
‘three weasels in this way. The young rabbits and 
leverets are of course their prey also. But after the 
corn is cut you may wait and watch a whole day in 
the fields and not see a weasel. They have gone to 
the thick mounds, the covers, woods, and forests, and 
therein will hunt the winter through. 
The stag is still feeding peacefully ; he is now 
scarce fifty yards away, when he catches sight and is 
off. His body as he bounds seems to keep just above 
the level of the fern. It is natural to follow him, 
though of course in vain; the mead is left behind, 
and once more there is a wall of fern on either side of 
the path. After a while a broad green drive opens, 
and is much more easy to walk along. But where 
does it go? for presently it divides into two, and then 
the fork pursued again branches. Hush! what is that 
clattering? It sounds in several directions, but nothing 
is visible. 
Then a sharp turn of the drive opens on a long 
narrow grassy valley, which is crowded with deer. 
Parties of thirty or forty are grazing; and yonder, 
farther away by themselves, there must be nearly a 
hundred fawns. Standing behind a tree, it is a 
pleasant sight to watch them ; but after a while comes 
back the thought, dismissed contemptuously long since. 
$2 
