120 



THE NATURALIST. 



a painting of which by Mr. Hulme was exhibited in the Royal Academy 

 and engraved in the " Illustrated London 'News" last year. On the heath I 

 saw a slowworm poking its head out of its hole, but on seeing us, it darted 

 up it — the mouth of the hole was at the bottom and the end at the top of a 

 bank, — and although I quickly grubbed up a great part of the hole, I could 

 not reach it ; they certainly are not slow-woims when in their holes. We 

 noticed a great deal of the sundew Drosera rotundifolia, and white dwarf rattle 

 as we crossed the heath ; at dusk we again rambled about hoping to find 

 natterjacks, but caught hardly any ; they come out most after wet days ; it 

 is curious to notice how alike are the voices of the natterjacks and the night- 

 jar, both of which may often be heard on the heath at night. 



I^ext morning the corn-crake made itself heard nearly under our window, 

 it must have been in a low meadow by the mole river, or in the garden. At 

 Ockham we noticed the only innovation for its own sake that has found its 

 way into this peaceful district ; viz : that Lord Lovelace has in two places 

 substituted for the old white guide posts, so easily read at night, the names of 

 the places which the respective roads lead to, merely cut in the bricks of 

 adjoining walls, which is not at all conspicuous by day, and at night is use- 

 less ; we got back to the heath, at a pretty hamlet called by the inappropriate 

 name of " Hell Corner on our way to the semaphore we noticed several 

 fiu-ze chats Saxicola ruhicola. In the evening in company with Mr. Smith, . 

 we visited a large pond known as the " Hut Pond whilst standing there a 

 flock of birds flew across it, dipping like swallows as they flew, and so fre- 

 quently as to resemble stones tlu-own duck and drake" fashion. On their 

 alighting on the sandy margin, we saw that they had rather long legs, and 

 were constantly wading into the water, were of a brown colour, and kept up 

 an incessant piping, I have no doubt they were sandpipers. The next day I 

 noticed twenty-five of them flying through the rain towards the lake. Terns 

 occasionally visit this piece of water ; Mr. Gold the landlord of the " Hut" 

 tavern, has three stuffed specimens, all shot over it. On our way to Down- 

 side at night we heard the screech owl Strix Stridula : and just before dusk, 

 we saw flying round a dried up pond three noctules, Vepertilio noctula, in 

 company with a few swifts, swallows, and lapwings, — a singular medley. 



On Monday we went first to a spot called Bushy Thicket in the direc- 

 tion of the Horseley's j here we found a young snake, little thicker than a 

 quill, engaged in eating a haK-grown toad, B. vulgaris ; we took the snake, 

 and I have it now in a box with other reptiles ; we afterwards caught a rather 

 large one in a neighbouring wood, so that we had three to bring home, as we 



