tree, an art which the red-legged partridge possesses. The birds, unlike
the foxes, hares, and rabbits, avoid the centre of the wood. Only the owls
and wood-pigeons haunt the interior. All the other species live upon the
edge. They dislike the darkness, and draw towards the sun. The jays keep
mainly to one corner by the river. The sparrow-hawks have also their
favourite corner. The wild pheasants lead a life in curious contrast to
that of the tame birds in the preserves. Like their ancestors in China and
the Caucasus, they prefer the osier-beds and reeds by the river to the
higher and drier ground. But in common with all the other birds of the
wood, with the exception of the brown owls, they move round the wood
daily, _following the sun_. In the early morning they are on the
eastern margin to meet the sunrise. At noon they move round to the south,
and in the evening are on the stubbles to the west. Where the pheasants
are there will the other birds be found, in an unconscious search for
light. It is the shelter and safety of the big wood, and not the presence
of crowded vegetation, that attracts them. They seek the wood, not from
choice, but because it is a city of refuge.

[1] These observations were made some years ago. I believe it has been
found necessary to kill down the rabbits since.




SPORT AT WITTENHAM


There is always some rivalry about shooting different woods on adjacent
properties, and the villages near always take a certain interest in the
results. Visiting our nearest riverside inn to order luncheon for our own