A NEIGHBOURLY GOSSIP. 



hibernate in the woods, and what store of 

 nuts and fruits they have laid by to provide 

 against the Christmas scarcity. You may 

 think this sort of Paul Pry interest in the 

 affairs of your fellow-creatures is undignified 

 and unphilosophic ; but I confess, to me it 

 appears only neighbourly. 



For example, there are my friends the 

 missel-thrushes, who have just lately returned 

 for the winter months to their commodious 

 quarters in the hanger below me. A week 

 or two since I noticed them flying home to 

 the woods and parks in their thousands. 

 They have been spending the summer 

 months as usual on their moors in Norway ; 

 but food having lately begun to fail them on 

 the fjelds, they are coming back now in great 

 straggling flocks to their English residences. 

 For, unlike the song-thrush, who is one of 

 their closest and most distinguished relations, 

 they stay with us in the winter only, and 

 move north again betimes in late spring, as 

 soon as their broods are reared and whortle- 



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