SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
bling upward through rending thorn-scrub, close 
matted bryony and fast searing hazel, we next 
came out upon terraces of long, waving grass, 
which in turn gave place to gentle shale slopes, 
dotted over with sapling pines and dense bushes, 
on which the golden berries hung in rich and 
tempting clusters. Through all this the spore 
we followed was plain, but presently, as it emerged 
upon the rocky bluffs of sandstone, it became more 
difficult to follow, till it was lost in an extensive 
patch of hazel-scrub, through which only a pig 
could force its way, and where, in all probability, 
our quarry was lying up for the day. 
Thus we spent two fruitless but interesting 
days—interesting because of the wonders of nature 
presented at every step. 
Here, in loose coils, lies a viper, his lithe form 
flattened to catch the full benefit of the sun’s rays, 
while an ugly swelling in the region of his stomach 
shows that he has recently dined. On an over- 
head bough is perched an angry chipmunk, scream- 
ing at the cold-eyed monster, thus giving vent 
to his feelings for the loss of his luckless mate. 
There, in a damp hollow, sits a great toad, his fat 
sides and throat throbbing and his golden eye 
ever watchful for some hovering fly or careless, 
crawling beetle. Soon there passes through the 
woods a troop of lively, chattering tomtits, each 
tiny bird examining the under surfaces of the leaves, 
searching amongst the scales of the pine-cones, 
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