MOORLAND IDYLLS. 



for they have little animal heat of their own, 

 being cold-blooded creatures, and they would 

 therefore get frozen whenever the surface 

 temperature fell below freezing-point. But 

 the pond seldom or never freezes solid ; 

 in other words, the degree of cold at the 

 bottom never goes down to freezing ; and 

 so the frogs are comparatively safe in the 

 mud of the bed. If you dig in the ooze in 

 winter, you may turn up whole spadefuls of 

 frogs and great crested newts in certain 

 cosy corners, lying torpid and half dead, but 

 waiting patiently for the returning sun of 

 spring to warm them. So that even the 

 frozen pond has a great deal more life in 

 it than the casual townsman would at first 

 imagine. 



As for the snails and beetles, and other 

 small fry of the pond, they mostly retire, 

 like their enemies the frogs, to the depths 

 for protection. The summer is their life ; 

 winter to them is merely a time to be 

 dozed through and tided over. Many of 



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