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on the insignificant character of the eddy. he made the attempt, was s c!ed down and drowned, and hence the spot has "een since !nown as simons "ath. so r n the tradition in the neigh"o rhood, #aried in detai$s "y different narrators, " t not so apocrypha$, perhaps, as the story of the two giants, or demons, who am sed themse$#es one day throwing stones, to see which co $d throw farthest. their stones were h ge "o $ders% the first pitched his pe""$e across the "risto$ channe$ across the c rrent. when a nat ra$ f$y approaches the s rface of r nning water, and f$ tters a$ong & st a"o#e it, it enco nters a $ight air, which f$ows in the same direction as the stream. facing this s rface "ree'e, the f$y cannot progress straight p the ri#er, " t is carried side ways across it. this motion the artificia$ f$y imitates% a tro t ta!es it, and is $anded on the stones. he is not ha$f a po nd, yet in the s nshine has a$$ the "ea ty of a $arger fish. spots of cochinea$ and go$d d st, fine$y mi(ed together, dot his sides. they are not red nor ye$$ow e(act$y, as if go$d d st were mi(ed with some "right red. a $ine is drawn a$ong his g$istening greenish side, and across this there are faint$y mar!ed $o'enges of dar!er co$o r, so that in swimming past he wo $d appear "arred. there are dar! spots on the head "etween the eyes, the tai$ at its $ower and pper edges is pin!ish% his gi$$s are "right scar$et. proportioned and e() isite$y shaped, he $oo!s $i!e a $i#ing arrow, formed to shoot thro gh the water. the de$icate $itt$e creat re is finished in e#ery detai$, painted to the tmost min tiae, and carries a wonderf $ store of force, ena"$ing him to easi$y s rmo nt the rapids. e(e and ear$e are twin streams, parted on$y "y a ridge of heather grown moor. the ear$e rises near a p$ace ca$$ed simons "ath, a"o t which there is a $egend reca$$ing the fate of captain we"". there is a poo$ at simons "ath, in which is a sma$$ whir$poo$. the stream r nning in does not seem of m ch strength% " t the eddy is s fficient to carry a dog down. "y report the eddy is said to "e nfathoma"$e. a $ong time since a man named simons tho ght he co $d swin thro gh the whir$poo$, m ch as captain we"" tho ght he co $d f$oat down the rapids of niagara% on$y in this case simons re$ied into wa$es% the second*s foot s$ipped, and his "o $der dropped on e(moor, where it is !nown as white stones to this day. the anti) arians refer simons "ath to one sigm nd, " t the co ntry side tradition dec$ares it was named from a man who was drowned. e(e and ear$e present$y ming$e their streams "y p$easant oa! woods. at the edge of one of these woods the trench, in the ear$y s mmer, was fi$$ed with ferns, so that, instead of thorns and "ram"$es, the wood was fenced with their green fronds. among these ferns were some " tter c ps, at $east so they $oo!ed in passing% " t a s$ight difference of appearance ind ced me to stop, and on getting across the trench the " tterc ps were fo nd to "e ye$$ow we$sh poppies. the peta$s are $arger than those of the " tterc p, and a pa$er ye$$ow, witho t the meta$$ic " rnish of the ran nc $ s. in the centre is the seed #esse$, somewhat $i!e an rn% indeed, the ye$$ow poppy resem"$es the scar$et fie$d poppy, tho gh sma$$er in width of peta$ and m ch more $oca$ in ha"itat. so concea$ed were the sta$!s "y the ferns that f$owers appeared to grow on their fronds. on the mo nds grew corn marigo$ds, so "ri$$iant$y ye$$ow that they seemed to shine in the s n$ight, and on a wa$$ moth m $$ein f$owered high a"o#e the fo(g$o#es. it was c rio s to hear the $a"o ring peop$e say, there*s the g c!oo, when the c c!oo cried. they said he ca$$ed g c!oo so c c!oo so nded to their ears. there are n m"ers of "irds of prey in the oa! woods which e#ery where grow on the s$opes of the e(moor hi$$s. the !eeper who wishes to destroy a who$e "rood of &ays +which ta!e the eggs of game, waits ti$$ the yo ng "irds are f$edged. he then catches one, or wo nds it, and, hiding himse$f in the " shes, pinches it ti$$ the "ird cries scaac, scaac. at the so nd the o$d "irds come, and are shot as they approach. the f$edg$ings c$o d, of co rse, "e easi$y destroyed% the o"&ect is to get at the wary o$d &ays, and pre#ent their ret rning ne(t year. now and then " ''ard is shot, and if it "e on$y wo nded the g nner concea$s himse$f and pinches it ti$$ it ca$$s, when the "ird*s partner present$y appears, and is a$so !i$$ed. stoats are p$entif $. they ha#e their yo ng in " rrows, or in ho$es and cre#ices among the stones, which are fo nd in ) antities in the woods. as any one passes s ch a heap of stones the yo ng stoats peep from the cre#ices and cry yac, yac, $i!e "ar!ing, and so "etray their presence. three or fo r traps are set in a circ$e ro nd the spot, "aited with pieces of ra""it, in which the o$d stoats are soon ca ght. the yo ng stoats in a day or two, not "eing fed, come o t of the stones, and are shot, or !noc!ed on the head. the woods are a$ways on the she$tered s$opes of the hi$$s, the moors on the s mmits are "are of trees% yet it wo $d seem that trees once grew there, tr n!s of oa! "eing occasiona$$y d g p from the peat. "oth the peaty t rf and the heather are sed for f e$% the heather is p $$ed p, the t rf c t with a partic $ar !ind of spade, heart shaped and pointed, not n$i!e the traditiona$ spade sed "y the gra#edigger in ham$et, " t with a #ery $ong c r#ed hand$e. #ipers are sometimes enco ntered among the heather where it is sandy. a #iper wi$$ sometimes wind itse$f ro nd the stem of a thorn " sh, and th s, t rning its head in e#ery direction, defy a dog. whiche#er side the dog approaches, the #iper t rns its #enomo s head. dogs fre) ent$y !i$$ them, and are sometimes "itten, genera$$y in the face, when the dog*s head swe$$s in a few min tes to twice its nat ra$s si'e. sa$ad oi$ is the remedy re$ied on, and se$dom !nown to fai$. the effect of anger on the common sna!e is mar!ed. the s!in, if the creat re is annoyed, "ecomes "rist$y and co$der% sometimes there is a strong sna!e $i!e sme$$ emitted. it is sing $ar that the goat s c!er, or fern ow$, often st ffed when shot and $ess height, and as he came into sight o#er the $ine of the wood he s dden$y whee$ed ro nd, and, ho$ding his immense wings e(tended, di#ed as a roo! wi$$ downwards thro gh the air. he twisted from side to side $i!e a coin part$y sp n ro nd "y the finger and th m", as he came down, r shing thro gh the air head first. the so nd of his great #anes pressing and di#iding the air was p$ain$y a di"$e. he $oo!ed na"$e to manage his descent% " t at the right moment he reco#ered his "a$ance, and rose a $itt$e p into a tree on the s mmit, drawing his $ong $egs into the "ranches "ehind him. the fo rth heron fetched a wide circ$e, and so descended into the wood% two more passes on o#er the #a$$ey a$together si( herons in a"o t a ) arter of an ho r. they intended, no do "t, to wait in the trees ti$$ it was d s!y, and then to go down and fish in the ri#er. herons are ca$$ed cranes, and heronies are craneries. a determined sportsman, who sed to eat e#ery heron he co $d shoot in re#enge for their ra#ages among the tro t, at $ast "ecame s spicio s, and e(amining one, fo nd in it the remains of a rat and of a toad, after which he did not eat any more. another sportsman fo nd a heron in the #ery act of g $ping down a good si'ed tro t, which st c! in the g $$et. the shot the e(act$y the opposite direction, f$ying from de#on into somerset, and starting o t to feed as the roo!s ret rned home. the first heron sai$ed on steadi$y at a great height, ttering a $o d caa!, caa! at inter#a$s. in a few min tes a second fo$$owed, and caa!, caa! so nded again o#er the ri#er #a$$ey. the third was f$ying at a of the increasing dar!ness. wi$d as the c r$ew is in ear$y s mmer +when there are yo ng "irds,, he wi$$ f$y p within a short distance of the wayfarer, whist$ing, heron and got the tro t, which was not at a$$ in& red, on$y mar!ed on each side where the "ea! had c t it. the fish was coo!ed and eaten. this s mmer e#ening the "ars of go$den and rosy c$o d grad a$$y $ost their "right co$o r, " t retained some p rp$e in the #apo r for a $ong time. if the red s nset c$o ds t rn "$ac!, the co ntry peop$e say it wi$$ rain% if any other co$o r, it wi$$ "e fine. the path from the ri#er $ed "eside the now d s!y moor, and the c r$ew*s weird whist$e came o t preser#ed in g$ass cases, does not !eep% the "ird $oo!s dragg$ed and fai$ing to pieces. so many of them are $i!e this. some of the $a"o ring peop$e who wor! "y the n mero s stream$ets say that the wagtai$ di#es, goes right nder water $i!e a di#er now and then a circ mstance i ha#e not noticed myse$f. there is c stom of ser#ing p water cress with roast fow$% it is a$so sometimes "oi$ed $i!e a garden #egeta"$e. sometimes a man wi$$ ta!e cider with his tea a c p of tea one side and a m g of cider on the other. the german "ands, who wander e#en into these e(treme parts of the co ntry, a$ways as! for cider, which they say reminds them of their own wines at home $i!e hoc!, or rhenish. tho gh the & nction of ear$e and e(e is a $ong way from the sea +as the e(e winds,, sa$mon come far p a"o#e that to the moors. sa$mon fishing is preser#ed, " t poachers ta!e them at night with gaffs. there are water "ai$iffs, who !eep a good $oo! o t, or thin! they do, " t occasiona$$y find heads of sa$mon nai$ed to their doors in derision. the misse$ thr sh is ca$$ed the ho$m screech. the misse$ thr shes, i !now, ha#e a diffic $ty to defend their yo ng against crows% " t $ast spring i fo nd a &ac!daw endea#o ring to get at a misse$ thr sh*s nest. the o$d "irds were screeching $o d$y, and trying to dri#e the &ac!daw away. the chaffinch appears to "e ca$$ed wood finch, at $east the chaffinch answered nearest to the "ird descri"ed to me as woodfinch. in another co nty it is ca$$ed the piefinch. one s mmer e#ening i was nder a wood "y the e(e. the s n had set, and from o#er the wooded hi$$ a"o#e "ars of go$den and rosy c$o d stretched o t across the s!y. the roo!s came s$ow$y home to roost, disappearing o#er the wood, and at the same time the herons approached in

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