The Coming of the Birds 81 



fancied a veritable gift to us, and we toy 

 with the baubles for the brief moment that 

 they are ours. The sunshine that follows 

 such a shower has greater magic in its touch 

 than it possesses later in the year; the buds of 

 the morning now are blossoms in the after- 

 noon, so quickening is the warmth of the first 

 few days of spring. The stain of winter is 

 washed away by an April shower, and the 

 freshest green of the pasture is ever that 

 which is newest. There is at times a subtle 

 element in the atmosphere that the chemist 

 calls " ozone," but a better name is " snap." 

 It dwells in April sunshine and is the invet- 

 erate foe of inertia. It moves us, whether we 

 will or not, and we are now in a hurry even 

 when there is no need of haste. The 

 " spring fever" that we hear of as a malady 

 in town never counts as its victim the lover 

 of an April outing. The beauty of novelty 

 is greater than the beauty of abundance. Our 

 recollection of a whole summer is but dim at 

 best, but who forgets the beginnings thereof? 

 We passed by unheeding many a sweet song 

 before the season was over, but can recall, 

 I venture to say, our first glimpse of the 

 returning spring. Though the sky may be 



