74 Clear Skies and Cloudy. 



roundings cannot be dissociated ? a kinship 

 between our lungs and ears, and so a breathing 

 of musical odors as well as hearing of sweet 

 sounds. We cannot be passive, or mere re- 

 ceptacles of impressions that have not for us 

 their real significance. Such cannot be posi- 

 tive even that they heard a bird sing. Think 

 of being only vaguely impressed with the idea 

 that you heard some voices when out of doors ! 

 Nevertheless, this is as far as many of my 

 neighbors go. 



It profits nothing to draw an invidious dis- 

 tinction, as it really is, when many birds are 

 singing. Too much cannot be said of any bird 

 when that one is in its place, but our extrava- 

 gance as to the thrushes too often leads to in- 

 justice as to some unpretentious sparrow. Not 

 one of the many birds upon the hill-side shall 

 be first to me. I am rich when the least of 

 them sings in my hearing. 



As the day draws to a close, all reluctantly 

 I turn my face homeward, and with unwilling 

 steps retrace the day's ramble. The foot-path 

 way is not bathed in the same cheerful light, 

 and the songs that still are heard are less full 



