Correspondents and Critics. 287 



long before the time for snow. This would be 

 a weighty argument did the birds leave so early 

 in the autumn, but they do not My own 

 records, covering many years, go to show that 

 over-staying birds have been observed most 

 frequently when the ground was bare, and on 

 many occasions when the weather was about as 

 cold as at any time during the winter. Promptly 

 on the occurrence of a snow-storm these birds 

 disappear. I can never find them, but when 

 the snow is melted they return. Where are 

 they in the mean time? People who do not 

 hourly consult the thermometer are unaware to 

 a great extent of the ups and downs of the 

 mercury, and birds having no such contrivance 

 are equally ignorant of the proximity, at times, 

 to zero of the sensitive metal. Judging from 

 their actions, at least, we are logically led to 

 presume so. Whether birds feel the cold or the 

 extreme heat is altogether another matter. It 

 is whether or not they are influenced by it 

 Finding it less formidable than they supposed, 

 they have stayed occasionally, years ago, and 

 one after another has followed the example set 

 until now it is not unusual. But was this over- 



