FEBRUARY 



29 



I hear the well-known note and see a flock of 

 Fringilla hiemalis, 1 flitting in a lively manner 

 about trees, weeds, walls, and ground by the road- 

 side, showing their two white tail-feathers. They 

 are more fearless than the song-sparrow. They 

 attract notice by their numbers and incessant 

 twittering in a social manner. 



THOREAU: Early Spring in Massachusetts. 



Twice this winter I have noticed a muskrat 

 floating in a placid, smooth, open place in the 

 river, when it was frozen for a mile each side, 

 looking at first like a bit of stump or frozen mea- 

 dow, but showing its whole upper outline from 

 nose to end of tail, perfectly still till he observed 

 me, then suddenly diving and steering under the ice 

 toward some cabin's entrance or other retreat half- 

 a-dozen or more rods off. 



THOREAU: Winter. 



1 The slate-colored junco or snowbird, now called by 

 scientists Junco hyemalis. ED. 



