CHAPTER II 



SECOND WEEK IN JANUARY 



THE year is still very young, yet there are abundant 

 signs that Nature is awakening from her winter 

 sleep, which begins with the fall of the leaf, and 

 lasts only until the dark days before Christmas are past. 



Already the full buds on the crimson hawthorn, globular 

 with bloom at every point, indicate the wealth of colour 

 which is to come ; the hyacinths, tulips, and early narcissi 

 are pushing up their green points on all sides, and the 

 crocus buds will soon unfold their shining petals in 

 sheltered corners ; whilst the birds, gay and bright in 

 their winter plumage, are already rehearsing their spring 

 songs of nests and the coming summer on every mild 

 sunny day. Their courting-time is near, and although 

 cold weather may put off their matrimonial affairs for many 

 weeks yet, they are quite aware that the " turn of the 

 year " is past, and that sunshine and spring are on their 

 way to us. 



A happy New Year to them, as well as to the rest of 

 us in the garden ; for they greatly add to our pleasure in 

 it, and also help us to succeed. Even the much-abused 

 house sparrow is now hard at work clearing off the seeds 

 of myriads of weeds (which would otherwise swamp our 

 flowers), and the large full eye of the robin is ever on the 

 alert to detect the slightest movement amongst the crisp 

 fallen leaves which may indicate a hiding caterpillar in the 

 curl of the leaf. 



The starling, which has his home in the roof (but spends 

 his days as yet on the topmost bough of the fir-tree, 



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