THE FAERY YEAR 



the voice extraordinary considering his minuteness. 

 Another sign, perhaps, of emotion of a less obvious 

 nature in the wren is the habit of ducking. 



The wren's nest in the yew, perfectly matching 

 its surroundings, reminds one of other nests remark- 

 able in the same way. Reasoning about this fact, 

 and drawing conclusions from it, we must remember 

 that the materials, gathered as they so often are 

 close to the site, may naturally help to make the 

 harmony. 



The Dormouse awakes 



The first large white butterfly a hibernator no 

 doubt appeared last week, together with brimstone 

 butterflies, which have been sharing the sweets of 

 the Portugal laurel with the hive bees. The pipis- 

 trelle bat has awakened evening after evening of 

 late, and in the copses the dormice are roused. 

 They wrapped themselves up in a ball of dried 

 grasses and leaves last autumn, and slept away the 

 winter among the stools of oak and hazel under- 

 wood. When the woodman finds one of these balls, 

 he knows whether there is a dormouse inside by the 

 weight. He knows in no other way, for there is 

 not the least sign of entrance or exit. The dor- 

 mouse, like the hedgehog, seals itself up entirely, 

 finishing off the work from the inside. For his own 

 purpose the dormouse builds as well as any bird. 



68 



