2.6 Wild Life in a Southern County 



there a spring or any other apparent source of supply. It 

 would naturally be imagined that in this exposed position, 

 even if filled to the brim by heavy storms of rain, a week 

 of sultry sunshine would evaporate it to the last drop ; in- 

 stead of which, excepting, of course, unusually protracted 

 spells of dry weather such as only come at lengthy inter- 

 vals, there will always be found some water here ; even 

 under the blazing sunshine a shallow pool remains, and in 

 ordinary times the circular basin is half full. 



It is of quite modern construction, and, except indi- 

 rectly, has no bearing upon the water supply of the earth- 

 work, having been made within a few years only for the 

 convenience of the stock kept upon the hill farms. Some 

 special care is taken in puddling the bottom and sides to pre- 

 vent leakage, and a layer of soot is usually employed to repel 

 boring grubs or worms which would otherwise make their 

 holes through and let the water soak into the thirsty chalk 

 beneath. In wet weather the pond quickly fills ; once full, 

 it is afterwards kept up by the condensation of the thick, 

 damp mists, the dew and cloud-like vapours, that even in 

 the early mornings of the hot summer days so frequently 

 cling about the downs. These more than supply the waste 

 from evaporation, so that the basin may be called a dew- 

 pond. The mists that hang about the ridges are often 

 almost as laden with moisture as a rain-cloud itself. They 

 deposit a thick layer of tiny bead- like drops upon the coat 

 of the wayfarer, which seem to cling after the manner of 

 oil. Though these hills have not the faintest pretensions 

 to be compared with mountains, yet when the rainy clouds 

 hang low they often strike the higher ridges, which from 

 a distance appear blotted out entirely, and are then receiv- 

 ing a misty shower. 



Then there rise up sometimes thick masses of vapour 



