ng--The "creeps"--In the stubble--Habits change with
seasons--The "sweet joint" of the rye--Lessons from a net and a
lurcher--Rough methods--The man-scent--On the hills above the
river-mists 241-260

II.

MARCH MADNESS.

March winds--Reckless jack-hares--Courtship and rivalry--Motherhood--A
harmless conflict--An intruding fox--The faithless lover--Maternal
courage--The falcon's "stoop"--The "slit-eared" hare--Countryside
superstitions--On the river island--Patience rewarded--The hare
as a swimmer--Bloodless sport--Habits of the hare in wet weather--The
"form" in the root-field--Bereavements--Increasing caution--
Productiveness in relation to food--A poacher's ruse 261-277

III.

THE CHASE.

The basset-hound--Mirthful and dignified--A method of protecting
hares--A suggestion--Formidable foes--"Fouling" the scent--A
cry of distress--The home in the snow-drift--The renegade cat--An
inoffensive life--A devastating storm 278-291

THE BADGER.

I.

A WOODLAND SOLITUDE.

Haunts of a naturalist--Why certain animals are unmolested--Means
of security--Fear of dogs and men--A place of interest--The
"nocturnal" instinct--Droll revelry--Serious pastimes--Teaching
by reward and punishment--Animals study the disposition of
their young--Voices of the wilderness 293-309

II.

HOME DISCIPLINE.

Unwelcome attentions--An old badger's watchfulness--A clever
trick--A presumptuous youngster--Instructions in selfishness--Harsh
measures--The badger and the stoat--A long ramble 310-324

III.

FEAR OF THE TRAP.

Wisdom in Nature's ways--The laggard of the family--A salutary
lesson--Hand-scent and foot-scent--An old Welsh law--The lesson
of a "double" scent--The sorrel as medicine--A wild bees'
nest--"In grease" 325-339

IV.

THE WINTER "OVEN."

The vixen and the hounds--The wounded rabbit--Old inhabitants
of the wood--In touch with enemies--Twilight romps--Brock's
quarrel with his sire--A bone of contention--Prompt chastisement--A
mournful chorus--Wild fancies of a bachelor--A big battle--The
terror of the flock--Unwarranted suspicion--Caught in the act 340-356

V.

HILLSIDE TRAILS.

The backward "drag"--Loyalty tested--A spiteful spou