A

FIELD-FULL OF WONDERS.

BY

CHARLES SMITH CHELTNAM.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

"Chi fatica è tentato da un demonio, chi sta in ozio da mille.

ITALIAN PROVERB.

"By one devil tempted is he who works ;
By a thousand he who labour shirks."

LONDON:

ROUTLEDGE, WARNE, AND ROUTLEDGE,

FARRINGDON STREET.

1863.

180. c. 140.
не

189. c. 243

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE FIELD, AND HOW WE CAME TO VISIT IT.

CHAPTER II.

OF THE GRASS, WEEDS, FLOWERS, HEDGES AND TREES, IN
FRANK'S WONDER-FIELD.

CHAPTER III.

ABOUT THE CROW THAT BOB SCARED, THE MOLE THAT
CHARLEY FOUND TAKING AN AIRING, AND THE GRASS-
HOPPER CAPTURED BY NED. .

CHAPTER IV.

WE CATCH A HEDGEHOG, CHARLEY KNOCKS AN EARWIG FROM
BOB'S CAP, AND I NEARLY TREAD ON A TOAD.

CHAPTER V.

FRANK TELLS US ALL ABOUT THE SURINAM TOAD, BULL-
FROGS, AND OTHER FROGS.

CHAPTER VI.

WE PELT A WATER-RAT, SCARE A NEWT, AND NED CAPTURES

A BUTTERFLY.

PAGE

17

31

~44

54

CHAPTER VII.

I PICK UP A NUT WITH A HOLE IN IT, BOB'S TROUSERS ARE
VISITED BY ANTS, AND CHARLEY IS DISCOMPOSED BY THE
CLOSE ATTENTIONS OF A WASP,

CHAPTER VIII.

A PEEP INTO A REDBREAST'S NEST-GENERAL PURSUIT OF A
DRAGON-FLY, AND DISCOVERY OF A SKYLARK'S NEST-NED
STRONGLY OBJECTS TO SPIDERS.

75

96

CHAPTER IX.

A FLIGHT OF SPARROWS DECLINES OUR COMPANY-A BEE
MORE SOCIABLE AND CONFIDING-WE CATCH (SIGHT OF)
A WEASEL, BY NO MEANS ASLEEP, AND BOB BRAVELY
HANDLES A SNAIL.

114

CHAPTER X.

FRANK PICKS UP AN OAK-LEAF, AND FINDS SOMETHING ON
IT-BOB WARNS A LADYBIRD THAT HER FAMILY IS IN
PERIL FROM FIRE-WE ALL JOIN IN A GRAND FIELD-MOUSE
HUNT, AND CHARLEY DECLINES TO PICK UP A WORM.

CHAPTER XI.

WE ARE SURVEYED BY A SQUIRREL, AND EVIDENTLY DIS-
TRUSTED ON THE OTHER HAND, OUR COMPANY IS SOUGHT
BY A CLOUD OF GNATS, AND WE FORCE OURSELVES UPON
THE NOTICE OF SOME LEECHES.

127

136

CHAPTER XII,

BOB BRINGS DOWN A COCKCHAFER, AND LETS IT DEPART
WITHOUT A BLESSING-WE ALL CONFESS THAT WE ARE
HUNGRY AND LEAVE THE WONDER-FIELD, TAKING NOTICE
OF A FLY WHO SEEMS DETERMINED TO GO HOME WITH US. .

145

PREFACE

I Do not know that any Preface is needed to introduce this little book, but in any case a very short one will suffice. Such as it is, the work has been mainly written with the wish to attract the attention of the young, but not altogether without the hope of making it interesting to many who are young no longer. The usefulness of the book-if, happily, it is found to be at all useful— will be, I think, in helping to develop any love for reading works on Natural History, which may already exist in the minds of my readers. If I cannot claim to have added anything new to the knowledge which is stored in books on the subjects treated of in these pages, I may truly say, however, that I have consulted a small host of major and minor authorities, in order that the information given should be the best of its kind. To these authorities- many of them directly referred to in the body of this work-I tender the admission of grateful indebtedness. Such books as the one now offered to the public are in no way injurious