hateful north-east quarter; but the sun shone, the sky was
blue, and the flying clouds were of a dazzling whiteness.
Shivering, I remembered the south wall, and went there, since
to escape from the wind and bask like some half-frozen serpent
or lizard in the heat was the highest good one could look for
in such weather. To see anything new in wild life was not to
be hoped for.

That old grey, crumbling wall of ancient Calleva, crowned with
big oak and ash and thorn and holly, and draped with green
bramble and trailing ivy and creepers--how good a shelter it
is on a cold, rough day! Moving softly, so as not to disturb
any creature, I yet disturbed a ring snake lying close to the
wall, into which it quickly vanished; and then from their old
place among the stones a pair of blue stock-doves rushed out
with clatter of wings. The same blue doves which I had known
for three years at that spot! A few more steps and I came
upon as pretty a little scene in bird life as one could wish
for: twenty to twenty-five small birds of different species
--tits, wrens, dunnocks, thrushes, blackbirds, chaffinches,
yellowhammers--were congregated on the lower outside twigs of
a bramble bush and on the bare ground beside it close to the
foot of the wall. The sun shone full on that spot, and they
had met for warmth and for company. The tits and wrens were
moving quietly about in the bush; others were sitting idly or
preening their feathers on the twigs or the ground. Most of
them were making some kind of small sound--little exclamatory
chirps, and a variety of chirrupings, producing the effect of
a pleasant conversation going on among them. This was
suddenly suspended on my appearance, but the alarm was soon