WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS. 227 



attention to any sound it may have noticed par- 

 ticularly, it half raises itself, the forefeet being off 

 the ground and half bent to the breast : then is the 

 time to see the play of the ears. 



Other creatures watch the movements of the hares' 

 ears when feeding in .the same field with them ; 

 partridges in particular do, and also the pheasants. 

 One cove}', I remember, early one autumn, regu- 

 lated their movements to a very great extent by 

 these furred signal-posts — the ears of the hares — 

 when feeding : if they saw these up, all was right ; 

 if not, well, they slipped forward towards where the 

 creatures were squatted. 



As they are in couples now, they do not notice " 

 their long-legged neighbours so much ; they are 

 simply calling to each other. 



We have only to show ourselves, then four 

 shadows flit over the field and we are alone. Up 

 the hill we go, out on the downs; here it is open. 

 Rabbits rush from grass-clumps as we pass, to stop 

 again only a few yards away. Then we hear some- 

 thing give a short sharp cry ; it would have been 

 longer, only the creature that stopped the cry knew 

 how to do it quickly. The fox bites hard and 



