;8 STRA Y FEA THERS FROM MANY BIRDS. 



in the woods and fields and on the mountains when they 

 are full of summer's charm. 



How fair all Nature looks at dawn in the bright 

 summer time, when the rosy streaks of morning spread 

 across the eastern sky, almost as soon as the twilight 

 fades in the west ! How active are the birds in these 

 few fleeting early hours ! What words can describe the 

 pleasure we feel in watching the Skylark rise from the 

 dewy grass and shake the moisture from its wings as it 

 flutters warbling to the clouds ! How clearly the Land- 

 rail calls from the meadows as the breeze ruffles the 

 herbage into waves in sweeping across them ; and what 

 early birds the Thrushes and the Starlings are, awake and 

 seeking their breakfasts before the sun peeps over the 

 hills. Then in the noontide stillness of a summer day, 

 when the oppressive heat seems to make even the very 

 insects lazy, what delight we can experience whilst 

 reclining under the cool shade of the lime trees, watching 

 the Swallows glide swiftly by, almost knocking the petals 

 off the daisies as they pass ! How soothing is the drowsy 

 hum of the bees far up among the tasselled, honey-soaked 

 flowers whose fragrance fills the air with intoxicating 

 sweetness ! The birds are comparatively silent in the 

 noonday heat, yet we can watch their various movements 

 as they flit about all round us provided we are careful 

 not to alarm them. Then, after the heat of the day is 

 spent and the sun draws nigh the western horizon, how 



