File:Birds in town and village, by W.H. Hudson.. (1920) (14747698334).jpg

Identifier: cu31924022526267 (find matches)
Title: Birds in town & village, by W.H. Hudson..
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Hudson, W. H. (William Henry), 1841-1922
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, E.P. Dutton & Company
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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gnant pool,separated from the stream by a strip of wet,rushy ground, its still dark surface covered withwater-lilies, not yet in bloom. They were justbeginning to show their polished buds, shapedlike snakes heads, above the broad, oily leavesfloating like islands on the surface. The streamitself was, on my side, fringed with bulrushes andother aquatic plants; on the opposite bank therewere some large alders lifting their branchesabove great masses of bramble and rose-briar, alltogether forming as rich and beautiful a tangleas one could find even in the most luxuriant ofthe wild, unkept hedges round the village. Thebriars especially flourished wonderfully at thisspot, climbing high and dropping their long, slimbranches quite down to the surface of the water,and in some places forming an arch above thestream. A short distance from this tangle, soabundantly sprinkled with its pale delicate roses,the water was spanned by a small wooden bridge,which no person appeared to use, but which had
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WREN. vsterioits talk in the leaves. BIRDS IN A VILLAGE 41 a use. It formed the one dry clear spot In themidst of all that moist vegetation, and the birdsthat came from the wood to drink and search forworms and small caterpillars first alighted on thebridge. There they would rest a few moments,take a look round, then fly to some favourite spotwhere succulent morsels had been picked up onprevious visits. Thrushes, blackbirds, sparrows,reed-buntings, chaffinches, tits, wrens, with manyother species, succeeded each other all day long;for now they mosdy had young to provide for,and it was their busiest time. The unsullied beauty and solitariness of thisspot made me wish at first that I was a boy oncemore, to climb and to swim) to revel in the sun-shine and flowers, to be nearer in spirit to thebirds and dragon flies and water-rats; then, thatI could build a cabin and live there all thesummer long, forgetful of the world and itsaffairs, with no human creature to keep mecompany, and no book

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