BEDTIME. 331 



finally he tucked his yellow bill under the scapu- 

 lary feathers, and, standing on one leg, quietly 

 dropped off to sleep, looking twice his natural 

 size, owing to the gloom and his puffed-out 

 plumage. 



As long as daylight lasts, birds of many species 

 are constantly arriving, the evergreens forming the 

 central point of attraction for all the birds in the 

 neighbourhood. I am inclined to believe that 

 many of these birds come here regularly to sleep, 

 although they spend the daytime far away on the 

 open fields, near the farmyards, and among the 

 woods and coppices of deciduous trees. Then, as 

 the darkness steals slowly over the earth, the 

 bustle and excitement grow less and less until 

 silence reigns supreme. Even the last noisy 

 Wrens are silent, and the latest of the Robins 

 has stayed its cheerful song. Thousands and 

 thousands of birds are fast asleep around us ; 

 there is not one evergreen bush or tree that does 

 not contain its feathered sleepers, warm and safe 

 from every harm. Well may the naturalist prize 

 the evergreens, for it is amongst them that wild 

 life congregates in greatest variety and abundance. 



There are some birds that seek shelter at 

 nightfall in other places than shrubberies, to which 

 we must devote half an hour at bedtime. Hay 

 and corn-stacks and ivy growing over buildings 

 shall be noticed first. Haystacks, especially 

 those standing in the corners of fields, are the 

 nightly resort of Titmice and Wrens. The Coal 



