Hedgerow Life 
find a soft spot. And those round holes 
in the softer parts show where a snipe 
has bored with its long, sensitive beak. 
You see, a heavy fall of snow or a 
hard frost, especially if it lasts some 
time, compels many birds to alter their 
ordinary way of life. The first bird to 
feel the effects of cold weather is gener- 
ally the song-thrush. Much of its food 
is obtained from the ground; and when 
that is frozen hard, or covered up with a 
thick layer of snow, it is unable to pull 
out worms and grubs, or to turn out 
slugs and other insects from under the 
fallen leaves, and amid the grass-roots. 
So then they may be seen close to the 
houses, hopping about near the back 
doors, on the look-out for scraps left by 
the chickens, bones round the dog- 
kennel, or anything else they may find. 
=e) 
