CHAPTER VI 



THE 'DOMESTIC LIFE OF ANIMALS 



I. The Love of Mates — 2. Love and Care for Offspring 



Winter in our northern climate sets a spell upon life. 

 The migrant birds escape from it, but most living things 

 have to remain spell-bound, some hiding with the supreme 

 patience of animals, others slumbering peacefully, others in 

 a state of " latent life " stranger than death. But within 

 the hard rind of the trees, or lapped round by bud scales, 

 or imprisoned within the husks of buried seeds, the life of 

 plants is ready to spring forth when the south wind blows ; 

 beneath the snow lie the caterpillars of summer butterflies, 

 the frogs are waiting in the mud of the pond, the hedgehog 

 curled up sleeps soundly, and everywhere, under the seeming 

 death, life rests until the spring. " For the coming of 

 Ormuzd, the Light and Life Bringer, the leaf slept folded, 

 the butterfly was hidden, the germ concealed, while the sun 

 swept upwards towards Aries." 



But when spring does come, heralded by returning 

 migrants — swallows and cuckoos among the rest — how 

 marvellous is the reawakening ! The buds swell and burst, 

 the corn sends up its light green shoots, the primrose and 

 celandine are in blossom, the mother humble-bee comes 

 out from her hiding-place and booms towards the willow 

 catkins, the frogs croak and pair, none the worse of their 

 fast, the rooks caw noisily, and the cooing of the dove is 

 heard from the wood. Then, as the pale flowers are sue- 



