250 IN "THE SNUGGERY" 



careless yet perfect, and they varied in height 

 from one foot to perhaps fifty feet, all exquis- 

 itely fresh and green from the ground to their 

 pointed tops. 



Running back into the clump was a glade- 

 like opening, which might have been but 

 was not a path. In the centre of that space 

 had planted itself the least of its race, an 

 infant spruce a foot high, the darling of the 

 group, standing up as pert as any patriarch 

 of them all, spreading its tiny arms with the 

 true spruce spirit to have elbow-room for it- 

 self, its fresh green twigs still wearing their 

 droll yellow caps. 



This beautiful solitude was sacred to wings, 

 for no path was open to feet. Into and over 

 it came about thirty species of birds ; yellow 

 warblers and redstarts flashed across its som- 

 bre depths like gems, a black-throated green 

 warbler, weighted, it might almost seem, by 

 his name, drawled out his drowsy song, and 

 very wide-awake flickers contributed their 

 various and peculiar cries. Barn- and tree- 

 swallows flew over with lively chat, the 

 olive-sided flycatcher shouted his plaintive 

 " see-here ! " an hour at a time, chipping-spar- 



