THE PAGEANT OF THE SEASONS 75 



out his song, uttered with his tiny brown tail bobbing 

 in unison with the notes, then he stands still and 

 listens ; once more peers into the crevices which have 

 already been " worked," just to see if his keen little 

 eyes have missed any insects, then hops gaily on 

 his perch and sings again. His song finished, he 

 flies to a heap of faggots and for the time is lost 

 to view. 



The pageant has begun. The sun, for the first 

 time, after the melting of the snow, is rising to shed 

 his beams on the country that a mighty change is 

 to pass over. It is a pale light which first shines 

 on the leafless trees and bare land ; but the earth 

 seems to receive the slight warmth with gladness, 

 while birds hail the light and warmth with song ; 

 for others, on hearing the wren's notes, give forth their 

 own. Under the shadow of the large trees the 

 morning air is still chilly and seems still to have 

 something left of the touch of winter; but squirrels 

 in the higher branches seem already to have for- 

 gotten there has been any hard winter weather, 

 for they play for joy and jump from branch to 

 branch as though this were indeed the first spring 

 day. 



The pageant proceeds slowly at first. It is difficult 

 to realise that it is moving ; but as days pass, little 

 flowers begin to open surely as though they were 

 Nature's eyes, for chickweed is first of the coming 



