UNDER THE REDWOODS 



softly, "as nervous as a witch," to quote my 

 pencil again ; behaving, in short, very much like 

 a robin overtaken by a similar mood ; and after- 

 ward, with a bird feeding in an open pasture 

 along with the jays before mentioned. This one 

 I stayed with a long time. In action he, too, was 

 more than a little robin-like, seeming to depend 

 largely upon his sense of hearing, standing motion- 

 less to listen, and then like a flash whirling 

 squarely about and pouncing upon something or 

 other that had stirred behind him in the grass. 



Under trees so lofty, their tops so almost 

 beyond one's vision, one feels after a little a need 

 of lesser things to rest the eyes upon by way of 

 relief and contrast ; and under the redwoods this 

 need was well provided for. The undergrowth of 

 trees was composed mostly of bays, some of them 

 of such a size as would be called large in any 

 ordinary competition, madronas, both trees and 

 shrubs, — a novelty to me, and highly appre- 

 ciated, — and the tanbark oak. The madrona I 

 recognized at sight, its magnolia-like leaves and 

 its bright mahogany-colored branches making 

 its identity manifest to one who had read about 

 it and had been expecting to find it. 



As for the oaks, I had not so much as a sus- 

 picion of their true character. On the first day 

 I noticed only shrubby growths, and, impelled 

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