latter wades up to its belly in pursuit of the pupae of 

 insects, and runs along upon the floating grass and 

 weeds. Many gnats are on the snow near the water ; 

 these support the birds in part. 



Birds are much influenced in their choice of food 

 by colour, for though white currants are a much 

 sweeter fruit than red, yet they seldom touch the 

 former till they have devoured every bunch of the 

 latter. 



Redstarts, fly-catchers, and blackcaps arrive early 

 in April. If these little delicate beings are birds of 

 passage, how could they, feeble as they seem, bear 

 up against such storms of snow and rain, and make 

 their way through such meteorous turbulences as 

 one should suppose would embarrass and retard the 

 most hardy and resolute of the winged nation ? 

 Yet they keep their appointed times and seasons; 

 and in spite of frosts and winds return to their 

 stations periodically, as if they had met with 

 nothing to obstruct them. The withdrawing and 

 reappearing of the short - winged summer birds 

 is a very puzzling circumstance in natural his- 

 tory ! 



When the boys bring me wasps' nests, my ban- 

 tam fowls fare deliciously, and when the combs are 

 pulled to pieces, devour the young wasps in their 

 maggot state with the highest glee and delight. Any 

 insect-eating bird would do the same. Birds of 

 prey occasionally feed on insects: thus have I seen 



41 



