IX. 



THE WINTER REST. 



Once more the wild life of the North has siinK 

 to sleep in field and woodland for its long annnal 

 siesta; for what night is to man and other ani- 

 mals, viewed individually, that is winter to uni- 

 versal nature in its collective aspect. It is the 

 period of rest, of repose, of calm, of dormancy. 

 Though we notice this great annual sleep of the 

 world most of all in the vegetable kingdom, it ex- 

 tends almost equally, when we come to look a 

 little closer, to the vast mass of animal life as 

 well. To be sure, the larger animals, which alone 

 most of us ever observe with any minute attention, 

 such as horses, donkeys, sheep, and cattle, remain 

 quite as wide awake during the winter months as 

 in the balmiest height of summer ; but it is far 

 otherwise with the immensely larger number of 

 our native small beasts, reptiles, amphibians, and 

 insects. All of them take their winter nap with 

 great regularity. The dormouse retires to his 

 hidden lair at touch of the first frost, and 

 there sleeps away quietly the whole chilly season. 

 The squirrel goes into winter quarters in his com- 



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