OUR BIRDS IN WINTER. 
113 
Grouse, that it is much warmer beneath the 
snow than it is above it, where the chill winds 
can reach one.” 
I have,” replied Woodcock, and have 
often thought how nice it would be, to be cov- 
ered up by the snow until the cold weather 
had gone.” 
‘^^Well,” continued the other, we Grouse 
who live in the woods take advantage of this 
protection, and, huddled together, we allow the 
snow to cover us, and we live quite comforta- 
bly for three or four days, without any food ; 
but it sometimes happens that the snow turns 
to rain just before the close of the storm, and 
the weather then changes to freezing, when 
the surface of the snow turns to ice, and we 
are imprisoned in the crystal sheet. It was 
in this manner that my two young ones lost 
their lives, and I had a narrow escape. We 
remained beneath the ice four days, when, 
unable to break the crust, and famished for the 
want of food, they exhausted themselves with 
their efforts to escape, and were unable to 
recover. I saw them die before me, and could 
