WINTER WORK. 45 



in the Marmot, the Squirrel, down to the tiny Caterpillar 

 not the tenth part of an inch in length. We see it again in 

 those weird creatures the Bats. Go into some sheltered cave 

 and you will probably find numbers of these creatures hanging 

 by their claws to the roof, head downwards, their wings 

 closely enwrapped around them — not a sign of life, not even 

 any perceptible breathing. It is not merely sleep, you may 

 rouse up an animal from its ordinary sleep, and it does not 

 take long to collect its faculties; unlike the lords of the 

 creation, there is no stretching of limbs and rubbing of eyes, 

 the creature springs up from slumber and is on the alert at 

 once. But not so with hybernation; it takes some time to 

 rouse a bat, the wakening comes very gradually and is 

 generally fatal. It is evidently a much nearer approach to 

 death than sleep is — the breathing is so slight as to defy 

 investigation, and the blood courses so sluggishly along that 

 you can detect no pulsation ; the air in which the creature 

 passes the winter, undergoes no change, and strangest of all 

 the animal will exist for some time in gases that would be 

 immediately fatal to it if awake. I just refer briefly to these 

 points in hopes to provoke a discussion on the subject 

 presently. By thus exploring caves and other suitable spots, 

 we may become acquainted with some species of bats not 

 otherwise often seen. I remember once going into a chalk 

 cave and finding four species, the Pipistrelle, Noctule, Long 

 eared Bat, and the Lesser Horse Shoe Bat having the curious 

 leaf-like appendage to the nose. 



Again, we may study birds as well during the winter as in 

 summer, perhaps some species better. The little Tits may be 

 seen in flocks of about a dozen flitting in and out of the 

 hedgerows, or busily running up and down the stems of trees 

 searching for sleeping insects ; the little Wren often scuds 

 across the road a foot or two above the ground ; the song of 

 the Skylark may be heard on a sunny day in any month of the 

 year. The habits of most of our birds change as they don 

 their winter plumage ; they begin to flock together in great 

 numbers, especially the Starlings, the Larks, the Finches, &c. 

 The Chaffinch is seen in large flocks, containing only males, 

 very few females are to be seen, and these mostly in the 

 south. Another question here arises — Why this collecting 

 together in flocks ? And why in winter and not in summer? 



