FINCHES AND WRENS 



ever leaves, save for shortest flights, the hawk danger 

 would not be very serious, even were the wren in 

 contrast rather than in harmony with its haunts. 



Up to a point we all believe in protection by 

 colour. But I am sure that we are in danger often 

 of setting too much store by it. For one thing, 

 protection by colour the brown wren in the brown 

 hedge bottom, the green caterpillar on the green 

 leaf, and so forth must surely be extremely close 

 and accurate to deceive the creature of prey. The 

 kestrel hovers seventy feet or more over the 

 brownish field, but the brown mouse below does not 

 escape that terrible eye. 



The Economy of Sleep 



In March many of the animal sleepers awake. 

 The squirrel, one of the lightest of all, has been 

 wakeful throughout this winter, and we can see him 

 whisking about in the hail or light snow-storms of 

 February as lively as in summer. Last year's great 

 harvest of acorns, fed on for months past by the 

 wood-mice, pheasants, rats, and wood-pigeons, is not 

 yet quite gone, and under the most fruitful oaks the 

 squirrels are busy now. This month, too, the adder 

 awakes, comes from its shelter among dead leaves or 

 faggot piles to sun itself on bright mornings. Then, 

 March is the month for the awakening of the 

 sulphur butterfly. 



A little while ago, touching on hibernation, I 



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