rays of the sun. I have seen the leaves of the primrose shooting up vigorously beneath the warm hedges at such times; and moles, feeling the ground released from its frosty bondage, begin to burrow and throw up their heaps of fresh and crumbly mould.

Our Saxon ancestors termed this month Aefler-yula, or After-Christmas. The Greeks called it Anthesterion, or, the Flowery, from the quantity of flowers used at the feast of Bacchus; but our present name is derived from the Latin, Janus, door-keeper of heaven, and God of peace,—the name, therefore, indicates that it is the gate of the year, and probably has reference to the earth in this month being in a state of quiet and inactivity.

One of the things which is most deserving of our observation at this season is, the wisdom of Providence displayed in the provision made for the preservation of all vegetable productions. Seeds are secure in the earth, or in the care of man; herbaceous plants have died down to the root, which, secure in their underground retreat, are preparing their fresh shoots, leaves,

and flowers, in secret, to burst forth at spring with renewed splendour; but herbs and trees which are exposed to all the severity of the open air are not the less safe. Their buds compactly defended by a strong coat of resinous matter, which may be abundantly seen in the horse-chestnut at the time of its unfolding, and moreover by that vis vitæ which vegetables as well as animals possess. This last wonderful power imparted to plants by our beneficent Creator, has been most clearly shown by an experiment of the simplest kind; one which any person may repeat. A bud cut off in a sharp frost and suspended from its parent tree during the night will be found to be completely frozen through, while its fellows, still upon the tree, will not be in the least injured. This will be the case even if the severed bud be enclosed in a glass, and perfectly defended from the external atmosphere. This property, by which buds, consisting of leaves firmly wrapped together, and within them the flowers, in fact, all the richness and glory of the coming year, are preserved, cannot be sufficiently admired.

Towards the end of the month, the throstle

C

is seen under sunny hedges and southern walls in pursuit of snails, which he destroys in abundance, particularly in hard winters; he delights also in chrysalids and worms. Other birds now quit their retreats in search of food. The nuthatch is heard, and larks congregate and fly to the warm stubble for shelter. Sparrows, yellowhammers, and chaffinches, crowd into farm-yards, and attend the barn-door to pick their scanty fare from the chaff and straw. The redbreast ventures into the house.

During the mild weather of winter, slugs are in constant motion, preying on plants and green wheat. Their coverings of slime prevent the escape of animal heat, and hence they are enabled to ravage when their brethren of the shell are compelled to lie dormant. Earthworms likewise appear about this time; but let not the man of nice order be too precipitate in destroying them-they are the under-gardeners that loosen the sub-soil, and have their uses in conveying away superfluous moisture, and admitting a supply of air to the roots of plants.

The hedge-sparrow and the thrush now begin to sing. The wren also pipes her perennial lay, even among the flakes of snow.

The

golden-crested wren, from its diminutive size and solitary habits, is not often noticed; and may be easily overlooked; but it is very abundant where there are plantations of sprucetrees, to which they are extremely partial, hanging their nests to the under-surface of the lower branches. Though apparently of so delicate a nature, they remain with us all the winter and appear to suffer less from cold than even many of our hard-billed species.

The blackbird whistles; the titmouse pulls straws out of the thatch, in search of insects; and linnets congregate. Pullets begin to lay; young lambs are dropped now in southern counties, but the more common time of lambing is in March. The fieldfares, redwings, skylarks, and titlarks, resort to watered meadows for food, and are, in part, supported by the gnats which are on the snow near the water. The house-sparrow chirps, and the bat is now seen. As the cold grows more intense, various kinds of sea-fowl quit the bleak open shores, and come up the rivers, where they offer an unusual prey to the fowler.

RURAL OCCUPATIONS.

The most important business of the farmer this month, is to feed and comfort his dependent animals : his cattle in their stalls and straw-yards; his sheep in warm and sheltered enclosures, giving them hay, straw, turnips, etc.: looking well after his flocks that they be not lost in snows; and in forward districts, as in the neighbourhood of London, housing and carefully feeding young lambs and calves for the market. Bee-hives require to be examined, and, if necessary, food supplied. In frosts, fishponds must have holes broken in the ice, to allow the fish the necessary air. Deer in parks also require the fostering care of man to supply them with hay, branches of trees, etc.; and game in the woods demand frequently the same attention. Buck-wheat is sown in the corners and open spaces in woods, as it bears very well the shade of trees, and is stacked in the ridings for the game. In other places corn, and hempseed are given them in seasons of great severity. Thrashing is now a regular employment, in some parts of the country, going on even by candle-light. Farming implements are