WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



wild creatures, living (despite a little fruit- 

 eating in the autumn) chiefly on grubs and 

 insects. They are not dependent on men for 

 a living. They are found far from any dwelling, 

 in the wild valleys among the hills and in 

 lonely glens where people seldom go. Wher- 

 ever there are trees and bushes to shelter 

 them will be found blackbirds and thrushes, 

 whether that shelter is the hedgerow fencing 

 in a little garden, or the untrimmed brakes 

 of a wild woodland. Indeed, they are truly 

 free creatures, and bring the wild life of the 

 countryside close to our bricks and mortar, 

 so that we can watch them any day and every 

 day busy at work. 



Perhaps the busiest time for them in the 

 twenty-four hours is just after daybreak, 

 when, flying down hungry from roost, food 

 has to be hunted for and found before break- 

 fast can be had. Now the old proverb says 

 that 'the early bird gets the worm,' which is 

 absolutely true, as every blackbird and thrush 

 knows to its cost. During the night the worms 

 come up to the surface of the ground, and, 

 stretching out of their burrows until only the 

 tips of their tails remain in the holes, they 

 feel around for fallen leaves, bits of grass, and 



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