NATURE'S CALENDAR 37 



MARCH 



March now stands on our calendar March 



as the first of the spring months, and in 



Great Britain, where the calendar was 

 made, and whence we get our literary- 

 view of it, it really is so; but the North 

 American climate is considerably behind 

 '.hat of England, and our March is usually 

 jnore wintry than spring-like. To the 

 zoologist, even when March "comes in 

 like a lamb," winter seems still in full 

 force, and the coming forward of plant 

 life is provokingly slow and uncertain. 

 Neverthless its progress is sure, and pres- 

 et ^ly will quicken into rapidity of pace. 

 Re ots are at work again, drawing suste- 

 nance into the stems of shrubs and trees 

 and greenness into sprouting root-leaves, 

 even under ice and snow. The sap wells 

 up into the trees, and stimulates leaf 

 packets and flower buds into a swelling 

 growth that will enable them a little later 

 to burst into a simultaneous and sudden 

 development over the whole forest. Yet 

 just when this begins, or how fast it pro- 

 ceeds, is hidden from our eyes. " No mor- 

 tal," remarks Thoreau, " is alert enough 

 to be ^resent at the first dawn of spring." 



B'li the experienced observer notes the 



