CONCLUSION. 315 



there is nothing better than a seat on the branch 

 of a tree some ten feet or so above the ground, 

 for wild creatures scarcely ever look up, and the 

 tell-tale scent of a human trespasser perched aloft 

 in this manner does not easily reach the nostrils 

 of creatures which are close to the ground. As 

 it gfets dusk rabbits besfin to emerge from the 

 covert. Some commence grazing almost imme- 

 diately, others canter slowly some distance out 

 from their place of refuge before settling down to 

 sup. As the darkness thickens their little brown 

 bodies become almost invisible, for when they are 

 on the feed they keep their white tell-tale tails 

 pressed close to the ground. They have been 

 cropping the sweet grass with quiet diligence for 

 half-an-hour or so, and a few of the more ven- 

 turesome have wandered fifty yards from their 

 stronghold when some terrifying object — possibly 

 a prowling fox — is observed by one of the front- 

 rankers, and he comes scampering back towards 

 the hedge. Although it is now quite impossible 

 to see the outline of a rabbit, the bobbing tail of 

 the fugitive is visible enough. And, moreover, 

 one can tell by the rapidity of its oscillations how 

 fast its owner is going. This enables all the 

 other rabbits of the community not only to learn 



