JANUARY. 31 



with us, till the beaten roads become dusty as in 

 summer. It every day penetrates deeper into the 

 earth, and farther into our houses; almost verifying 

 the common saying, "January will freeze the pot 

 upon the fire." Our windows in the morning are 

 covered with a fine opaque frost-work, resembling 

 the leaves and branches of forest-trees, and the 

 water is frozen in the ewer. The fish in ponds, 

 reservoirs, and shallow waters, now suffer from 

 their being frozen over, and great numbers perish. 

 In many places you may see them moving under 

 the ice, seeking some access to air or food; in 

 others, firmly embedded in the ice, their bright 

 and silvery sides shining through it. In dikes and 

 small streams, or pools, boys have great sport in 

 breaking the ice and drawing out these poor frozen 

 creatures. I have seen, on such occasions, eels 

 and other fish of a considerable size taken out ; 

 and I have seen, too, fishes frozen up in solid ice, 

 and apparently dead, on being gradually thawed 

 recover their animation. The small birds are hop- 

 ping, with half-erected feathers, upon our door-sills, 

 driven to seek relief from creation's tyrants by the 

 still more pressing tyranny of cold and famine. 

 The destruction of birds, and of all the smaller 

 animals, in a continued frost, is immense, particu- 

 larly if it be accompanied by snow. Snow is a 

 general informer, betraying the footsteps of every 

 creature, great and small. The poacher and the 

 gamekeeper are equally on the alert while it lies 

 freshly upon the ground, the one to track game, 



