Ritson : A Ramble in North-West Durham. 



137 



themselves on my approach. In a fir-tree I saw a squirrel's 

 nest, and on sitting - quiet for a little while saw a squirrel come 

 out, look about, then dart away back again. I was going- to 

 climb the tree to see the nest more closely, but past recollections 

 of taking a squirrel's nest restrained me. One cannot, I think, 

 but be impressed by the peculiar death-like stillness of a fir- 

 wood. Every sound is as it were so exaggerated by the stillness, 

 that the crack of a twig by a squirrel can be heard a great 

 distance. Only the slight sighing of the breeze through the 

 needle-like leaves, or the weak notes of the Titmouse and Gold- 

 crests are to be heard as they creep among the branches or flit 

 from twig to twig' in search of their food. I have been in this 

 same fir-wood, in all seasons of the year, and I think the silence 

 is endless, save when it is broken by the invasions of man. 

 Silence belongs alone to the evergreen fir-woods. On this 

 occasion I saw several Cole Tits climbing the trunks, and saw a 

 common Tree Creeper, driving its hook-like bill into every avail- 

 able crevice, uttering all the while a faint squeaking-like note. 

 "The Goldcrest is an inhabitant of almost every pine-wood, and 

 I saw them, as little specks, busy high in the upper branches. 

 Advancing, I heard a Carrion Crow leave the wood, and on 

 looking at each tree as I passed I found the nest at the top of 

 one of the small firs. I scaled this, and found six young crows 

 without the sign of a feather as yet appearing. I since learned 

 that the first nest of the carrion crow was destroyed, and that 

 she built again quite near the former place. At the extreme 

 left of the wood I heard the voice of the Cuckoo, but never saw 

 one the whole day, although I heard several. On gaining the 

 border of the wood I observed a Magpie with five young birds 

 which she was teaching to fly ; they caused me great amuse- 

 ment by their futile attempts ; on my approach the mother-bird 

 chattered from branch to branch, with tail upraised and open 

 mouth, the young birds making for the topmost branches as 

 best they could. 



Having crossed from this wood to the following one, which 

 was about 200 yards distant, the first object I saw was a Jay, 

 which had been too intent on devouring some dead Rabbit as 

 not to withdraw before I got so near. He flew into the 

 depths of the wood, his beautiful wings shining like blue stars 

 in the light of the sun, his derisive laugh being audible for 

 a long period after his disappearance. Other objects of interest 

 which I observed were the Stoat, the Kestrel Hawk, and the 

 Weasel; the former had evidently been sleeping, as he started 



ukk> May 1. 



