NOVEMBER. 379 



lodge during winter, and which are ready to 

 deposit their young in, the following spring. 

 Salmon now begin to ascend the rivers to 

 spawn. Bees require to be removed under 

 shelter, and their hives to be covered with their 

 winter coat ; pigeons also require feeding. 



Many wild creatures now retire to their win- 

 ter retreats. The frog sinks to the bottom of 

 ponds and ditches, and buries itself in the mud. 

 The lizard, the badger, the hedgehog, creep 

 into holes in the earth, and remain torpid till 

 spring. Bats get into old barns, caves, and 

 deserted buildings, where, suspending them- 

 selves by the hind feet, and wrapping them- 

 selves in the membranes of their fore feet, they 

 sleep winter away, except some unusual in- 

 terval of mild weather should awake and call 

 them out for a little while occasionally. Squir- 

 rels, rats, and field-mice shut themselves up 

 with their winter stores; and the dormouse 

 betakes itself to slumber. 



RURAL OCCUPATIONS. 



Thrashing and wintering of cattle are re- 

 sumed. Many operations of manuring, drain- 

 ing, levelling ant-hills, and other inequalities, 



