48 FHE VAGARIES OF OUR CLIMATE 
the tree faces south. But this was no place 
for them to-day! The upper part of the tree 
was a Sheet of snow, whilst the lower depend- 
ent branches showed the fresh green of the 
young leaves. It was curious, too, to see 
some bright red hyacinths and also golden 
yellow daffodils showing out glaringly from 
the white snow. By 12 o’clock the scene 
had quite changed, the sun having shone 
brilliantly for two or three hours, and very 
little snow remained! The snow melting 
rapidly left the dripping twigs and leaves 
adorned with myriad drops, which here and 
there as they caught the sun’s rays scintil- 
lated like so many diamonds and precious 
stones of all colours of the rainbow. Strange 
to say a sparrow’s nest built in a dead plum 
tree which had caught the snow heavily 
remained for nearly the whole day like a 
round white beacon against a dark wall 
beyond it. I thought of how the poor herons 
high up on those tree tops (see Chap. IJ) 
must have felt this severe weather, and how 
badly the poor little fledglings in those flat 
