32 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



it builds a nest which might often be the accustomed methods of its tribe, 

 taken for that of a song thrush or a The nests of these few common 

 blackbird, and puts it in the hollow species show the strength of this main 

 of a tree's fork instead of suspending instinct of self-preservation very accu- 

 it among the boughs of a large shrub rately, and a deeper inquiry into local 

 or bush. If only the other two allied and individual peculiarities of struc- 

 species did the same, their main pro- ture, material and situation would 

 blem would be solved ; but they do probably evolve a definite series of 

 not appear to have thought of it, minor instincts such as we can trace 

 whilst centuries of earlier breeding in the case of the longtailed tit ; if so, 

 and presumably constant spoliation the greatest hopes of discoveries lie 

 seem to have acquainted the missel- in the variations discernible between 

 thrush with this simple solution ; at two or three allied species, such as the 

 any rate, there is no other known thrushes or the warblers, or the bunt- 

 cause to account for its variation from ings. 



VI 

 THE VENUS EVE 



" Sweet Hesper Phosphor." 



TENNYSON. 



A SPELL of radiant weather in near the sun, Venus is not yet clear 



spring brings in the Venus of the afterglow ; but as this fades, 



eves. These, if often at this season growing fainter almost perceptibly 



followed by hard glittering nights of each minute, she burns brighter, till, 



frost, have a good deal of the rich at the moment of her setting behind 



feeling and colouring and sounds of the dark line of the earth, she is far the 



the summer dusk. We have eve after brightest thing in the sky. 



eve of this character in April. I call Every moment of one of these per- 



them Venus eves because this planet, feet Venus eves spent indoors in the 



though hardly seen above the horizon country seems a moment wasted, 



more than an hour, is once again chief There is a positive foretaste of summer 



feature of the scene. Being now so in the marked way in which wild life 



