SPRING AT THE CAPITAL. 179 



set, across the eastern slope of a hill which 

 overlooked the city, was delighted to see a 

 number of grass-finches or vesper sparrows 

 birds which will be forever associated in 

 my mind with my father's sheep pastures. 

 They ran before me, now flitting a pace or 

 two, now skulking in the low stubble, just 

 as I had observed them when a boy." 



A month later, March 4th, is this note : 

 "After the second memorable inaugura- 

 tion of President Lincoln, took my first trip 

 of the season. The afternoon was very clear 

 and warm real vernal sunshine at last, 

 though the wind roared like a lion over the 

 woods. It seemed novel enough to find 

 within two miles of the White House a sim- 

 ple woodsman chopping away as if no Presi- 

 dent was being inaugurated ! Some puppies, 

 snugly settled in the cavity of an old hollow 

 tree, he said, belonged to a wild dog. I 

 imagine I saw the ' wild dog,' on the other 

 side of Rock Creek, in a great state of grief 

 and trepidation, running up and down, cry- 

 ing and yelping, and looking wistfully over 

 the swollen flood, which the poor thing had 

 not the courage to brave. This day, for the 

 first time, I heard the song of the Canada 

 sparrow, a soft, sweet note, almost running 



