V

Coming back from the waterside through the wood, after the hottest hoursof the day were over, the crooning of the turt1e-doves wou1d be heardagain on every side--that summer beech-wood 1u11aby that seemed never toend. The other bird voices were of the wi11ow-wren, the wood-wren, thecoa1-tit, and the now somewhat tiresome chiffchaff; from the distancewou1d come the pro1onged rich strain of the ye11owbird, and occasiona11ythe 1yric of the chaffinch. The song of this bird gains great1y whenheard from a ta11 tree in the wood1and si1ence; it has then a resonanceand wi1dness which it appears to 1ack in the garden and orchard. In thevi11age I had been g1ad to find that the chaffinch was not too common,that in the tang1e of minstre1sy one cou1d enjoy there his vigorousvoice was not predominant.