MAY 



27 



I was amused with the behavior of two red squir- 

 rels, as I approached the hemlocks. . . . For four 

 or five minutes at least they kept up an incessant 

 chirruping or squeaking bark, vibrating their tails 

 and their whole bodies, and frequently changing 

 their position or point of view, making a show of 

 rushing forward, or perhaps darting off a few feet 

 like lightning, and barking still more loudly, i. e., 

 with a yet sharper exclamation, as if frightened 

 by their own motions, their whole bodies quiver- 

 ing, their heads and great eyes on the qui vive. 



THOKEAU: Early Spring in Massachusetts. 



28 



Louis AGASSIZ, 1807. 



Our Arethusa is one of the prettiest of the or- 

 chids, and has been pursued through many a marsh 

 and quaking bog by her lovers. She is a bright 

 pink-purple flower an inch or more long, with the 

 odor of sweet violets. The sepals and petals rise 

 up and arch over the column, which we may call 

 the heart of the flower, as if shielding it. 



BURROUGHS: Riverby. 



As I come over the hill, I hear the wood thrush 

 singing his evening lay. This is the only bird 

 whose note affects me like music, affects the flow 

 and tenor of my thought, my fancy, and imagina- 

 tion. It lifts and exhilarates me. 



THOREAU: Summer. 



