20 LAND OF THE LINGERING SNOW. 



from behind the barrel which graced the door- 

 step, and several English sparrows swung from 

 a telephone wire overhead. 



I looked up into the iron caps of the electric 

 light lamps to see whether the sparrows had 

 built in them. They had. In Boston and sev- 

 eral adjoining cities the major part of these 

 iron witch-caps contain sparrows' nests. Even 

 the lamps which are suspended over the streets 

 and drawn in daily by the linemen are not dis- 

 dained by the birds. 



From the deck of the Janus-natured ferry- 

 boat, which was pausing for the time between 

 trips to the Revere Beach cars, I looked out 

 upon a chilly sky and sea. The waters were 

 restless, the wind fierce and cold, the snow- 

 flakes stinging. At anchor lay a large steamer, 

 black and thin. The odd gearing at her stern 

 showed that she was an ocean cable steamer. 

 Beyond her was a four-masted schooner. I 

 wondered what her sailors called her fourth 

 mast. Suddenly my wandering eyes were fixed 

 in astonishment upon a jaunty form floating on 

 the water within less than fifty feet of the ferry- 

 boat. It had emerged from the cold and tossing 

 waters with a bounce, shaken itself, and begun 

 a bobbing career in the daylight and snow- 

 flakes. Pop ! Down went its head, up went its 

 tail and feet and it was gone again. During 



