s by it.

W. What beautiful birds they are!

Mr. A. Yes; the woodpecker has been called, from its color and size, the
English parrot.

W. When I got upon the open heath, how charming it was! The air seemed
so fresh, and the prospect on every side so free and unbounded! Then it
was all covered with gay flowers, many of which I had never observed
before. There were, at least, three kinds of heath (I have got them in
my handkerchief here), and gorse, and broom, and bell-flower, and many
others of all colors that I will beg you presently to tell me the names
of.

Mr. A. That I will, readily.

W. I saw, too, several birds that were new to me. There was a pretty
greyish one, of the size of a lark, that was hopping about some great
stones; and when he flew, he showed a great deal of white about his
tail.

Mr. A. That was a wheat-ear. They are reckoned very delicious birds to
eat, and frequent the open downs in Sussex, and some other counties, in
great numbers.

W. There was a flock of lapwings upon a marshy part of the heath, that
amused me much. As I came near them, some of them kept flying round and
round, just over my head, and crying _pewet_, so distinctly, one might
almost fancy they spoke. I thought I should have caught one of them, for
he flew as though one of his wings was broken, and often tumbled close
to the ground; but as I came near, he always made a shift to get away.

Mr. A. Ha, ha! you were finely taken in then! This was all an artifice
of the bird's, to entice you away from its nest; for they build upon the
bare ground, and their nests would easily be observed, did they not draw
off the attention of intruders by their loud cries and counterfeit
lameness.

W. I wish I had known that, for he led me a long chase, often over-shoes
in water. However, it was the cause of my falling in with an old man and
a boy who were cutting and piling up turf for fuel, and I had a good
deal of talk with them about the manner of preparing the turf, and the
price it sells at. They gave me, too, a creature I never saw before--a
young viper, which they had just killed, together with its dam. I have
seen several common snakes, but this is thicker in proportion, and of a
darker color than they are.

Mr. A. True. Vipers frequent those turfy, boggy grounds pretty much; and
I have known several turf-cutters bitten by them.

W. They are very venomous, are they not?

Mr. A. Enough so to make their wounds painful and dangerou