348 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



presence of evergreens is not so much needed, for the 

 sun, being higher in the heavens, has greater power, and 

 vegetable Hfe is at its acme of vigour, and affords in part 

 the shelter required. But in winter what a change 

 occurs ! How bare the leafless trees and hedgerows ! 

 The evergreens now stand out prominent as friendly 

 beacons, offering harbours of refuge for every weary 

 songster that seeks' their shelter. Birds may, however, 

 be seen in small numbers enlivening the woods and hedge- 

 rows with their presence in the daytime ; but whither go 

 these feathered creatures when the sun sinks below the 

 western horizon } — To the nearest belt of shrubbery or 

 cluster of evergreens, w^iere, amid the luxuriant foliage 

 they remain safe from enemies and cold until morning 

 dawns, when their several requirements lead them forth 

 anew amongst the more exposed and leafless tracts of 

 country. 



He who would wish to encourage the feathered tribes 

 around him should pay special care and attention to the 

 cultivation of evergreens ; for, not to speak of their 

 exceedingly ornamental qualities, they afford food, pro- 

 tection, shelter, and nesting-sites for great numbers of 

 insessorial birds. How often we admire with heartfelt 

 pleasure the thick masses of scarlet berries upon the 

 holly, the more sparsely distributed fruit of the yew, 

 the clustering berries of the ivy, or the more sober-tinted 

 but still not less beautiful cones of the fir. Many admire 

 them because of the festive season at which they are 

 held in such high repute ; but to him who loves to study 

 bird life in its ever varying phases they will ever 

 appear as storehouses furnished by Nature for the fea- 

 thered tribes when other kinds of food are wanting. 

 Observe with what avidity the various Thrushes consume 

 the fruit of the holly, ivy, or yew. Notice the number 



