170 The Naturalist in Siluria. 



EREONEOUS BELIEF ABOUT THE WILD 

 BERRIES. 



it is a common belief among unobservant people that 

 if the crop of wild berries — haws^ hips, and those of the 

 holly — be unusually abundant a severe winter will follow. 

 Nature, in her beneficence, say these people, so provides 

 for her favourite creatures, the birds, not forgetting the 

 beasts. But if nature be so benignant, why does she let 

 either ever starve at all ? As it is, they did — the birds any- 

 how — in hundreds and thousands during the winters of 

 1879-80 and 1880-81. Both were severe enough to test 

 the truth of the above belief; which they did, showing it 

 not true at all, but absolutely erroneous. For, in both, not 

 only were the wild berries unusually scarce, but in many 

 districts altogether wanting. And as further proof con- 

 firming the fallacy, the winter just passing away, mild 

 throughout, has been one with the berry crop so plenteous 

 as to redden hedge and bush everywhere — berries of all 

 sorts — ^just when the birds could have well done without 

 them ! 



Naturalists of an amiable disposition, but not always 

 true to nature, are very fond of dwelling upon her be- 

 nignance, some of them ever dinning it into our ears. 

 How good and wise she is, say they, in her every act and 

 design ! Wise she may be for purposes we know not 

 of ; but as to her goodness, it would be diflBcult to con- 

 ceive anything more apparently cruel than her whole 

 scheme as regards the ferce naturce, one species preying 

 upon another, all over the earth, in an endless chain of 

 hostility and destruction. The sad fact exists, and the 

 purpose, though to us inscrutable, may be of the wisest 

 and for the best — indeed, must be. But is this a reason 



