XXIV 
MARCH 
Redwings and Pussy-willows 
MARCH 
March! March! March! They are coming 
In troops to the tune of the wind; 
Red-headed Woodpeckers drumming, 
Gold-crested Thrushes behind. 
Sparrows in brown jackets hopping 
Past every gateway and door. 
Finches with crimson caps stopping 
Just where they stopped years before. 
— Lucy Larcom. 
“How do the birds know when spring has come? 
How can they tell the difference between a warm day 
in December and a warm day in March when the ground 
is still snow covered? We ourselves might be puzzled 
to tell the difference if we had not kept record of the 
days and weeks by the almanac. 
“But the birds know. The Redwings, Grackles, and 
Cowbirds will not return for the warmest December 
sun, but let the sun of early March but blink, and they 
are up and away, oftentimes stealing a march on shy 
Pussy-willow herself. 
“Unless the season is very stormy, as we have seen 
for ourselves this year, a few Robins, Bluebirds, and 
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