Nov. 26.—Little did I think when I wrote in my diary a week ago, "winter is just round the corner" that the Clerk of the Weather would take me. so literally: on Saturday the wind swung round to the Nor-nor-west and I woke this (Sunday) morning to find the pools all frozen over: this is "rude Boreas" doing his worst, for Boreas son of Astraeus and Cos (the morning) is the North Wind, in person. It is quite interesting to note how quickly the lives and movements of all wild creatures are affected by a change of wind like this: Magpies are rapidly discovering that work put.in on their nests is wasted because the site is unsuitable to withstand the Northern blasts; Kingfishers find their feeding-grounds frozen over and have to move elsewhere; subterranean creatures prepare for the long winter sleep. But best of all I like to observe the reactions of our Wagtails. The Streak-eyed birds, studies in black,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.