42 JANUARY. 



secure in the earth, or in the care of man ; herba- 

 ceous plants have died down to the root, which, 

 secure in their underground retreat, are preparing 

 their fresh shoots, leaves, and flowers, in secret, to 

 burst forth at spring with renewed splendour. But 

 herbs and trees which are exposed to all the severity 

 of the open air are not the less safe ; their buds com- 

 pactly defended by a strong coat of resinous matter, 

 which may be abundantly seen in the horse-chestnut 

 at the time of its unfolding, and moreover, by that 

 vis vitce which vegetables as well as animals possess. 

 This last wonderful power imparted to plants by our 

 beneficent Creator, has been most clearly shown by 

 an experiment of the simplest kind ; one which any 

 person may repeat. A bud cut off in a sharp frost, 

 and suspended from its parent tree during the night, 

 will be found to be completely frozen through ; while 

 its fellows, still upon the tree, will not be in the least 

 injured. This will be the case even if the severed 

 bud be enclosed in a glass, and perfectly defended 

 from the external atmosphere. This property, by 

 which buds, consisting of leaves firmly wrapped 

 together, and within them the flowers, in fact, all 

 the richness and glory of the coming year, are pre- 

 served, cannot be sufficiently admired. 



Towards the end of the month, the throstle is 

 seen under sunny hedges and southern walls in pur- 

 suit of snails, which he destroys in abundance, par- 

 ticularly in hard winters ; he delights also in chrys- 

 alids and worms. Other birds now quit their retreats 

 in search of food. The nuthatch is heard, and larks 



