WINTER SHIFTS, 219 



and their domestic offices. Probably the insects 

 and their eggs have, as I have already suggested, 

 a corrective property which is fully appreciated by 

 the yaffle, and he means to have his fill of them 

 before the snow comes. 



On the broad roads, or rides, cleared in the 

 beech -woods, where the wind, to a certain extent, 

 keeps the leaves from gathering thickly, large flocks 

 of chaffinches and tits gather: from the great tit 

 to the little blue tit, all are busy at the fallen mast. 

 There is a continual twink ! twink ! twink ! As to 

 the tits, they chide and chatter ; and mingled with 

 them you will find the beautiful bramblings, or 

 bramble finches, conspicuous at once, as they fly 

 up, by their white tail-coverts, as well as by their 

 scissors-grinding note. I kept a pair of these once 

 for a time, but had to give them their liberty or 

 they would have ground us out of the house. One 

 thing is very noticeable about all birds that have 

 luxuriated on beech -mast for a long spell, their 

 plumage gets the gloss of satin on it, doubtless 

 owing to the great amount of oil in the nuts. A 

 woodland friend brought me a couple once for pre- 

 serving: they were skinned with the greatest diffi- 



