FLUFF-BUTTON THE RABBIT 69 
knowing that grass was good to eat, but he had 
to find out for himself that the bluebell leaves, 
which look much like grass, are full of unwholesome 
slimy juice and not nice to nibble. He also had 
to find out by experience that while foxes are 
dangerous and should be avoided, sheep are quite 
harmless. When he had learned this, he used often 
to find his way to the Sheep Field all alone, and 
feed among the lambs. 
Once a day Paddy Magragh used to climb the 
hill to count the sheep. At his heels slunk a yellow 
terrier with a keen nose and a silent tongue, who 
could do anything from rounding up a sheep for 
his master, to killing a fox single-handed in Knock- 
dane. But for this early morning visit, life in the 
Sheep Field was very peaceful. Nothing came 
between the furze bushes and the spring sunshine 
except when a rook flew overhead, croaking a 
quaint spring song to himself, or when a filmy cloud 
raced across the sky. The gorse flowers gave out a 
heavy perfume like warm apricot jam, and the 
fine spell brought out a horde of insects to hum 
round them. The lambs played together among 
the ant-hills, and the little rabbits played also. 
The games they played were the oldest games 
in the world tig, catch as catch can, and king 
o' the castle. But though White-Lamb often saw 
