166 NATURE AND WOODCRAFT. 



the clusters stood out prominently among the 

 leaves. The Wood-doves cooed, and had their 

 wicker-like nests among the branches. Moles 

 threw up their runs across the green rides, and 

 at the shadow of a hawk the pheasants ran to 

 the shelter of the bushes. We met armies of 

 Black Ants marching along the paths ; saw the 

 Groat-sucker basking among bits of burning 

 lime-stone, and one day discovered that the 

 green corn was just tinged with gold. 



The heyday of leafy June was some weeks 

 past, the young Pheasants had grown too large 

 for the Sparrow-hawks, and now the richness 

 of the Hazel harvest was to fulfil the promise of 

 spring. 



A month passed, and we looked again. The 

 branches bent, and the rosy clusters shook 

 in shaggy plenty. The hazel copse seemed to 

 centre about it the whole life of the district. 

 Not only animals and birds, but butterflies, 

 beetles, and moths seemed to favour the hazel. 

 The rippling laughter of sunny school-girls 

 rang through the woods, and young and old 

 seemed to be out " A-Nutting." 



But there were three little depredators, the 

 cleverest among them all, with which we played 



