Appreciated Decorations
In the village church, on Christmas Day, neither the carols nor the sermon were enabled wholly to divert the attention of the congre- gation from the activities and cheerful chirps of a hen chaffinch. It was said to have lived in the church for many days and to have flourished, unlike that proverbial sufferer, the church mouse. It seems that it had been attracted by the decorations and had lived on the plentiful holly-berries, though these are not a common food for the species. This same church is a favourite home of bees. I once pursued a swarm from one of my own hives and saw it disappear into the roof just above the porch. A case is on record where a swarm of bees invaded the church clock. Whether they improved the shining hour seems doubtful.
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