FEBRUARY 



27 



I hear faintly the cawing of a crow far, far away, 

 echoing from some unseen woodside, as if dead- 

 ened by the spring-like vapor which the sun is 

 drawing from the ground. It mingles with the 

 slight murmur of the village, the sound of chil- 

 dren at play, as one stream empties gently into 

 another, and the wild and tame are one. What a 

 delicious sound ! It is not merely crow calling to 

 crow, for it speaks to me too. I am part of one 

 great creature with him. If he has voice, I have 

 ears. I can hear when he calls, and have engaged 

 not to shoot or stone him, if he will caw to me each 



spring. 



THOREAU: Winter. 

 28 



Scare up a rabbit on the hillside by these ponds, 

 which was gnawing a smooth sumach. See also 

 where they have gnawed the red maple, sweet fern, 

 Populus grandidentata, white and other oaks (tak- 

 ing off considerable twigs at four or five cuts), 

 amelanchier, and sallow. But they seem to prefer 

 the smooth sumach to any of them. With this 

 variety of cheap diet they are not likely to starve. 

 The rabbit, indeed, lives, but the sumach may be 

 killed. I get a few drops of the sweet red-maple 

 juice which has run down the main stem where a 

 rabbit has nibbled a twig off close. 



THOBEAU: Early Spring in Massachusetts. 



