It was Frank who wanted to follow the stream far up towards the hills.
He wished to see where it began, for he had heard that its source was in
several small streams many miles away.
Uncle George agreed to take the children as far up the stream as they
could walk, without being tired. Soon they were far up above the wood,
and the fields, and the pond.
Frank was not in the least sorry when his uncle sat down on a large
stone by the side of the stream.
“We shall not go much farther,” said Uncle George. “Some other day we
will. But tell me what you think of the country round about you.”
“It is very wild and lonely,” said Tom. “There are no fields of corn;
nothing but green hills and moorland. Yet it is very grand.”
“The flowers and plants are not like those of the valley,” said Tom.
“The stream, too, is different. Here it is a noisy, rushing course of
clear, lovely water. Down below it is a lazy-flowing stream.”
“It is not always so clear,” said Uncle George. “After heavy rains this
stream is swollen and brown.”
“Look! look!” cried Dolly. “What is that on the other side of the
stream?”
Sure enough there was something moving about. Now it turned round and
opened its mouth, showing two rows of sharp, white teeth. Then, with a
harsh cry that could be heard above the noise of the water, it bolted
away.
There was just time for all to see the creature, which Tom at once
called a weasel.
“Yes, a weasel it is,” said Uncle George; “it is one of the animals
which prey on rabbits and young hares. Look! there it is again.”
The children looked, and saw it quite clearly. There it was, a pretty
little animal of a black and brown colour, with just a little white on
its breast. It sat up, and was holding something in its fore paws.
“Ah!” said Uncle George, “our little friend is a thief. He has found a
nest, and that is an egg he has stolen from it. Let us see what he will
do with it.”
[Illustration: The Weasel at Home.]
In a moment or two Master Weasel tucked the egg under his chin and was
off once more.
“What a dear little thing, to be sure!” said Dolly. “How quaint to carry
an egg in that way!”
“It looks pretty, that is certain,” said Uncle George, “but it is a
dreadful foe to the smaller animals of the field. There are other foes,
too, and I hope we may see some of them before we return.”
The boys were glad to hear their uncle say this, and they asked him to
take them, now they were rested, a little farther up the stream.
All of them made a start.
By and by they came to a place where the stream made a kind of pool. The
pool was bounded on each side by high rocks. At the top end the water
came down with a rush from a great height.
It was a very lonely spot indeed; and, except for the noise of the
water, nothing could be heard.
On and on they went.
Uncle George told them of the stoat, the polecat, and the marten, all of
which, he said, were foes of the smaller animals.
Tom kept a sharp look out, and hoped he would see at least one of these.
As luck would have it, a dull splash was heard in the water a little way
in front of them. All of them looked towards the spot.
“Down, boys, down! and keep quite still,” said Uncle George. “Hide
behind these big stones. We shall have a treat.”
Swimming on the surface of the water was an animal as large as a
good-sized dog. Now it dived to the bottom. The ripples on the water
showed that the animal was swimming underneath. The children held their
breaths and watched. Not in vain; for there, on the other side of the
stream, the animal came out of the water. It held a fish which it had
caught.
“Now,” said Uncle George, “we have a fine chance to look at our new
friend. That animal is the otter. See! Its body is pretty flat; its legs
are short, and its toes are webbed like those of the duck. Look at its
round nose and its small ears. If we were closer to it we should see
that there is a fold of skin which can be turned over the ears while the
creature is in the water.”
“How fierce it looks!” broke in Dolly, “and how its eyes gleam!”
“It is glad to have caught the fish, I should think,” said Frank.
Uncle George raised his hand to hold the children in silence. Then he
went on in a soft voice. “Look at its flat tail, which is pointed at the
tip. The otter uses his tail as a rudder to guide him in the water. See
how sleek his dark brown skin is. It is now nearly dry, though he has
only just come out of the stream.”
“Let us drive him away,” said Dolly, who could not help but feel sorry
for the poor fish.
There was no need for this, however, as, just at that moment, the otter
turned towards the party, showing, as he did so, a lovely white throat.
He had heard them speaking, and was off like a flash, leaving the fish
on the rock.
The fish had an ugly bite in its back, and was quite dead.
“Poor, dear little thing!” cried Dolly. “What a shame to kill you!”
“It is the otter’s nature,” said Uncle George. “He does a great deal of
good, for he kills many water-voles, or rats, as they are sometimes
called, as well as frogs and water insects. Sometimes, however, he does
harm, for he catches salmon, trout, and wild-ducks. He seems to do this
more for sport than for food, for he only eats small portions of his
prey.”
Questions and Exercises.
1. Write down the names of some animals you would expect to find if
you walked along the bank of a stream.
2. Describe the Otter and the Weasel. Tell in what way they are like
and unlike.
[Illustration: Common and Ox-eye Daisy compared.]