S7GJVS OF SPRING 23 



sun barely pierces the mists, and early disappears. 

 When fog lifts, rain falls ; and meanwhile the 

 leaves lie rotting. Yet man knows that a new 

 year has commenced, and the birds are equally 

 conscious of the fact. Their early proclamations, 

 however, are not emphatic. A prolonged chirrup 

 from the lark, a few more repetitions from the nut- 

 hatch, a little more melody from a robin warming 

 in a quiet nook where the sun fires the jewelled 

 dew on herb and fern this is all we hear. The 

 robin, seemingly the most observant, is appro- 

 priately the most musical of these singers. He 

 has been along the hedgerows, and has seen the 

 gnats dancing merrily. He interrupted their game, 

 though adopting for this purpose the manners of a 

 flycatcher. He has watched the caterpillar creep- 

 ing out of its winter retreat a soft, fat grub, 

 lethargic, cold, but plump and he ate it. He has 

 seen the molehill rising weirdly through the dead 

 leaves ; observed the fresh-made tunnel of the 

 mouse ; and perceived, far down in decayed vege- 

 tation, young leaves thrusting pale points upward 

 from the soil. Early in the morning, and at 

 evening, in mild weather, the beetles boomed and 



