160 SPRING JOTTINGS 



thirty pounds to the square inch, and the force 

 is thought to reside in the soft fragile cells that 

 make up the cambium layer. It is like the 

 strength of Samson residing in his hair. Saw 

 one bee enter the hive with pollen on his back, 

 which he must have got from some open green- 

 house; or had he found the skunk cabbage in 

 bloom ahead of me? 



The bluebirds! It seemed as if they must 

 have been waiting somewhere close by for the 

 first warm day, like actors behind the scenes, 

 for they were here in numbers early in the 

 morning; they rushed upon the stage very 

 promptly w^hen their parts were called. No 

 robins yet. Sap runs, but not briskly. It is 

 too warm and still ; it wants a brisk day for sap, 

 with a certain sharpness in the air, a certain 

 crispness and tension. 



March 12. A change to more crispness and 

 coolness, but a delicious spring morning. Hun- 

 dreds of snowbirds with a sprinkling of song 

 and Canada sparrows are all about the house, 

 chirping and lisping and chattering in a very 

 animated manner. The air is full of bird 

 voices; through this maze of fine sounds comes 

 the strong note and warble of the robin, and 

 the soft call of the bluebird. A few days ago, 

 not a bird, not a sound; everything rigid and 

 severe; then in a day the barriers of winter 

 give way, and spring comes like an inundation. 

 In a twinklmg all is changed. 



Under date of February 27, 1881, I find this 

 note: "Warm; saw the male bluebird warbling 



