THE WOODCOCK 
the taint of man warned them away, but 
Creaman knew nothing of that. There was 
an open space round the light, and, exploring 
it one evening, he found himself upon clay 
which adhered lusciously to his claws. He was 
too hungry to heed sundry strange noises which 
came from within the house while he fed ; so 
that it was not until something rattled close at 
hand that he looked up and saw the fat white 
spaniel snuffling suspiciously in the gloom. By 
daylight Creaman's eyes were scarcely service- 
able : at night their powers were almost 
miraculous. He knew that he could not be 
seen : he felt vaguely that the dog belonged to 
the daylight, and therefore, after dark, must 
work under the same disadvantages as he him- 
self did in sunshine. So he merely picked out 
a worm with scientific precision, and paid not 
the slightest attention when the dog began to 
whine and strain at his chain. 
The lamp in the cottage window laid a broad 
beam of light across the garden, and several 
winged things came to marvel at it little 
whirring moths, and a bat or two. Creaman 
saw these, for it is not the least of the wood- 
cock's gifts that he can see what goes on all 
round him, when his bill is nostril deep in the 
earth. Here Nature surpassed herself in adapt- 
ing means to an end, and set the 'cock's eyes 
93 
