NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 
157 
Mr. Hayes might well appropriate the lines of the greater poet : — 
“ In my helpless cradle I 
Was breathed on by the rural Pan.” 
From first to last he is a singer of the country side, of 
“ The simple breadth of view that fills 
Our famished souls, the voice that stills 
The comfort of the lowly hills.” 
There is no very great range in his verse, the “ deep authentic mountain 
thrill ” does not shake the page, and as he himself tells us, the “ sleepless surge ” 
is not heard in Arden, but he has entirely caught the charm of leafy Warwick- 
shire with its sunny meadows and drowsy hamlets ; the glass is a small one, but 
it is his own. 
The verse for the most part glides along with a quiet simple freshness and an 
almost quakerlike gravity that ranks well with the quiet life and the simple philo- 
sophy it celebrates. “ A traveller I by my faith you have good reason to be sad ; ” 
that phrase expresses the philosophy of Arden to-day as it did in Shakespeare’s 
day, and one does not look for any tricks of travel, “ conscious naturalness ” or>the 
like, in Mr. Hayes’ verses. Sometimes, indeed, their monosyllabic simplicity is 
tiresome, and the poet’s fondness for short lines will not be shared by every 
reader. On the other hand, there comes now and then a really fine line, which 
makes us wonder whether Mr. Hayes has really shot his bolt. 
“ Not where along unlovely ways 
The roaring tide of trouble flows — ” 
the man who could write that second line may yet accomplish higher things 
even than the “ Vale of Arden.” 
A word is due to the publisher : Mr. Lane’s books are always tastefully got 
up, but in this case the harmony between cover and contents is perfect. 
J. L. H. 
SELBORNIANA. 
A Good, Example. — Two young gentleman farmers, Messrs. Percy & 
Charles Seward, of Weston, near Petersfield, came lately into possession of a 
farm through part of which the main line of the S.W.R. runs. Here in some 
of the fields bordering the line (which, as is well known, goes through some of 
the prettiest scenery in the South of England) were stuck some of those vile 
modern monstrosities of quack medicine, advertisement boards, which desecrate 
and spoil our lovely landscapes, and which, alas ! for the sake of a few paltry 
shillings per annum, some persons who care nothing for scenery will not hesitate 
to put up and rum the surroundings. The first thing these young gentlemen did 
was to have the boards taken down, and the hearty thanks of all who value our 
lovely landscapes, and especially all Selbornians, are due to them. 
A Lover ok Nature. 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Hedgehogs and Snakes. — Is it true that hedgehogs will kill reptiles, 
such as snakes, vipers, and slow worms? There used to be a considerable number 
of the latter in this locality a few years ago. I could rarely walk through the 
churchyard adjoining the old parish church, down the road between the post 
office and village inn, or in my own garden without seeing either a dead or living 
specimen, for nearly all country people think these harmless creatures are as 
injurious as vipers ; but of late I have rarely seen a slow worm, and hedgehogs 
have put in an appearance. My Irish terrier, “ Tartar,” caught a very large 
