CHAPTER V. 



A Midland Village: Eailway and Woodland. 



T)EYOND the Yantle we come upon a line of railway, running 

 down from Chipping Norton to join the main line to "Wor- 

 cester. Just as the waters of the Evenlode are reinforced at 

 this point in its course by the two contingent streams I described 

 in the last chapter, so the main railway is here joined by two 

 subsidiary lines, the one coming from Chipping Norton and the 

 other from Cheltenham over the Cotswolds. Paradoxical as it 

 may seem, I do not hesitate to say that this large mileage of 

 railway within a small radius acts beneficially upon our bird-life. 

 Let us see how this is. 



In the first place, both cuttings and embankments, as soon as 

 they are well overgrown with grass, afford secure and sunny 

 nesting-places to a number of birds which build their nests on 

 the ground. The Whin-chat for example, an abundant bird here 

 every summer, gives the railway-banks its especial patronage. 

 The predatory village-boys cannot prowl about these banks with 

 impunity except on Sundays, and even then are very apt to miss 

 a Whin-chat's nest. You may see the cock-bird sitting on the 

 telegraph wires, singing his peaceful little song, but unless you 



