130 
Birds and Flowers . 
each day and peep into it gently ; and though in 
the country it may often happen to us to find stray 
birds to bring up, I would always rather see whole 
troops of little songsters flying about the lawns, 
and the winter’s snow all trodden with the marks 
of their little feet, instead of having them taken 
to bring up indoors. It used to be, to us, 
always a grand delight when a deep snow came, 
and when the window-sills, and the parapet near 
our nursery, bore many marks in the morning of 
little winged pensioners who were awaiting crumbs. 
So sure as a snow came, so sure the birds arrived. 
There were some great Larch-trees just before the 
windows, and in these we could see “ our birds ” 
hopping up and down. And then, what joy if 
the snow lasted long, and the small birds got very 
tame. I am sure you all will know how soon one 
gets to distinguish remarkable birds, and to pity 
some poor Tomtit, and to scold at some great 
greedy impudent Eobin Eedbreast ! A few days’ 
frost is enough to introduce a great many characters 
to our full acquaintance ; and when three months 
after we find all the pretty nests, we can’t help 
wondering often if this belongs to that Eobin, and 
if that is the habitation of some particular Linnet, 
with whom we are on “ feeding terms. ” One of 
