18 



JANUARY. 



is seen under sunny hedges and southern walls 

 in pursuit of snails, which he destroys in abun- 

 dance, particularly in hard winters ; he delights 

 also in chrysalids and worms. Other birds 

 now quit their retreats in search of food. The 

 nuthatch is heard, and larks congregate and fly 

 to the warm stubble for shelter. Sparrows, 

 yellowhammers, and chaffinches, crowd into 

 farm-yards, and attend the barn-door to pick 

 their scanty fare from the chaff and straw. 

 The redbreast ventures into the house. 



During the mild weather of winter, slugs are 

 in constant motion, preying on plants and 

 green wheat. Their coverings of slime prevent 

 the escape of animal heat, and hence they are 

 enabled to ravage when their brethren of the 

 shell are compelled to lie dormant. Earth- 

 worms likewise appear about this time ; but let 

 not the man of nice order be too precipitate in 

 destroying them they are the under-gardeners 

 that loosen the sub-soil, and have their uses in 

 conveying away superfluous moisture, and ad- 

 mitting a supply of air to the roots of plants. 



. The hedge-sparrow and the thrush now be- 

 gin to sing. The wren also pipes her perennial 

 lay, even among the flakes of snow. The 



