382 Wild Life in a Southern County. 
frozen. If in the early morning there are sheets of 
ice, by noonday a great part will be flooded an inch 
or two deep, the water rising over the ice, and forced 
by it to spread farther, softening the ground at 
the sides. The water-carriers are long before they 
freeze. Thrushes and blackbirds come to the hedges 
surrounding these meadows; the fieldfares and red- 
wings are there by hundreds, and fly up to the trees 
if alarmed. 
The old folks say that the irrigated meadows 
(and other open waters) do not freeze in the evening 
till the moon rises; a bright clear moon is credited 
with causing the water to ‘ catch ’—that is, the slender, 
thread-like spicules form on the surface, and, joining 
together, finally cover it. It is, of course, because the 
water-meadows are long before altogether frozen that 
the duck and teal come down to them. When the 
brooks are frozen is almost the only time when the 
dabchick can be got to rise: at other times this bird 
will dive and redive, and double about in the water, 
and rather be caught by the spaniels than take wing. 
But when the ice prevents this they will fly. Wood- 
pigeons go to the few places that remain moist, and 
also frequent the hawthorn bushes with the fieldfares. 
They seem fond of trees that are overgrown with ivy, 
probably for the berries, 
The fish are supposed to go down upon the maid: 
but the jacks certainly do the reverse: they may 
be seen lying just beneath the ice, and apparently 
