70 LAND OF THE LINGERING SNOW. 



over half a mile, and its height along its backbone 

 is one hundred and forty feet. A sunny old 

 farm-house on the low land at the end of the 

 island nearest Coffin's Beach was pointed out 

 as the birthplace of Rufus Choate. Beyond it 

 was a fair view of Essex River, with its gleaming 

 flats dotted with clam-diggers, Coffin's Beach, 

 Annisquam Harbor, and the shores of Cape 

 Ann, made dim and mysterious by the east wind's 

 veil of haze, a pledge of returning storm. The 

 view northward across Castle Neck and the 

 mouths of Ipswich and Rowley rivers to Plum 

 Island was not only beautiful, but interesting by 

 reason of the distinctness with which it mapped 

 the dunes. As line upon line of white-edged 

 breakers rolled in upon the shore, they seemed to 

 turn to sand and continue their undulations 

 across Castle Neck to our inlet. Bits of blue 

 shone between these sand waves. They were 

 the mimic lakes of the caddis- worms and the 

 Ipswich sparrows. Bits of white were on the 

 sands of the beach and the flats along the 

 inlet. They were flocks of gulls feeding. So 

 still was the air that now and then the uncanny 

 whining of one of these birds came up to us. 

 Inland the sun made the haze golden instead 

 of gray, and we could not see many miles. 

 In Ipswich, Hamilton, and Essex many drum- 

 lins could be seen, one of which, Heartbreak 



