8o HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



wood he now sings over ! The then bare wood is 

 now transformed into one of pale yellow. Primroses 

 cover every yard of surface just round about where I 

 stand, while farther afield violets and the " wind- 

 flower" hold their own. It is the real awakening of 

 spring, when primroses bloom and the violet hangs 

 its drooping, deep blue head. On the older clumps, 

 where the trees have been cut down, primroses have 

 found a place to grow, and all around and about the 

 wren's old post they gleam from a mass of green. 

 The little brown bird sings louder and longer now. 

 In the midst of his song another wren appears, and in 

 her mouth is a dead leaf, with pieces of dust-covered 

 cobweb still clinging to it. She just stops to bob her 

 tail, " flick " her wings, and then disappears in a 

 thick bush, and is soon followed by her singing mate. 

 They are building their nest, and the male must 

 needs sing on nearly every journey to and from the 

 half-finished home. 



Here we may look around on the beauties of 

 Nature, and note the delicate and harmonious 

 colours with which she has painted the wood ; we 

 may look above and observe the young green 

 leaves fast opening, and beyond these, and con- 

 trasting with them, the deeper blue of the sky. No 

 wonder, then, that the wren seems to be inspired 

 to sing. And in the trees, amongst the highest 

 branches, the chiffchaff calls ; and lower down willow- 



