6 SKETCHES OF BIRD LIFE. 



few yards in their apparently endless diversion of 

 " folio w-my-leader." One after another they come 

 trooping along to the number of ten or a dozen, their 

 long tails, variegated with white, prettily streaming 

 in the wind, while their call-notes sound in the still 

 woods like the tinkling of tiny silver bells. How 

 these delicate little creatures contrive to find sub- 

 sistence, and withstand the cold, during an English 

 winter, is marvellous. They are resident with us 

 throughout the year, or at least are only partially 

 migratory ; that is to say, they move gradually 

 southwards at the approach of winter, but do not 

 all quit the country at that season, as do the 

 so-called summer migrants. And yet one would 

 scarcely imagine that the Long-tailed Titmouse is 

 better qualified to withstand the rigours of winter 

 than the Whitethroat or the Willow Wren. 



Another hardy little bird, of which we shall obtain 

 a glimpse presently, is the Goldcrest. It is not 

 exactly a winter visitant, for its tiny nest is to be 

 found in various parts of the country every summer ; 

 but it is more frequently seen in winter perhaps than 

 at any other season, partly because the absence of 

 leaf admits of its being more readily observed then, 



