262 WOOD AND GAEDEN 



or some part of the plant. They had begun at one 

 end and worked steadily along, clearing them right out. 

 They also destroyed a long bed of Anemone fulgens. 

 First they took the flowers, and then the leaves, and 

 lastly pecked up and ate the roots. 



But we have one grand consolation in having no 

 slugs, at least hardly any that are truly indigenous ; 

 they do not like our dry, sandy heaths. Friends are 

 very generous in sending them with plants, so that we 

 have a moderate number that hang about frames and 

 pot plants, though nothing much to boast of ; but they 

 never trouble seedlings in the open ground, and for 

 this I can never be too thankful. 



Alas that the beautiful bullfinch should be so dire 

 an enemy to fruit-trees, and also the pretty little tits ! 

 but so it is ; and it is a sad sight to see a well-grown 

 fruit-tree with all its fruit-buds pecked out and lying 

 under it on the ground in a thin green carpet. We 

 had some fine young cherry-trees in a small orchard 

 that we cut down in despair after they had been growing 

 twelve years. They were too large to net, and their 

 space could not be spared just for the mischievous fun 

 of the birds. 



