WINTER 259 



are rarely reliable and oft cause vexation of spirit ; yet it 

 may be stated as an average rule, that an extremely 

 wet morning" early will be succeeded — say at 10 or 

 1 1 a.m. — by a fine bright day. The sportsman who, 

 looking* out of his window before dawn, finds it "coming- 

 down whole water," may discover both comfort and 

 wisdom in the local adag"e, "It's raining- too hard for a 

 wet day " ; he will be well advised to turn in again for a 

 couple of hours, and then put this other proverb to the 

 test- — "Good luck is better than early rising-." 



Provided the weather holds mild and open, but little 

 chang-e occurs in bird-life at this season. On the hills, 

 the lives and habits of the game and other moorland forms 

 remain as defined in the chapters on autumn ; and all the 

 smaller species therein mentioned continue in the hill- 

 country. Thus the birch and alder-woods of the valleys 

 are still enlivened by flocks of finches, with bramblings 

 rarely, siskins irregularly, and redpoles, goldcrests, and all 

 five British tits in plenty. Tree-creepers remain, also 

 woodpeckers : but it is only during- mild weather we 

 enjoy their company, for when winter comes in earnest 

 they disappear, to seek shelter in the larger low-lying- 

 woods, and not one of these remains after three days 

 of snow. The wren, however, is steadfast, simply moving 

 off the fells into the woods below. As regards hardi- 

 hood, in the first rank of all our small birds, stand 

 these six : the wren and the robin, the dipper, bull- 

 finch, hedge-sparrow, and blackbird. Thrushes utterly 

 disappear ; but these six remain immovable, braving 

 the utmost extremities of weather. Blackbirds suffer 

 soonest, and after a week or ten days' really severe 

 weather, many are in moribund condition. The cock 

 bullfinch, with his crimson breast and sharp contrasts of 



