WINTER MARVELS 15 



disperses it in mist through the skies; he re-col- 

 lects and sprinkles it like grain in six-rayed snowy 

 stars over the earth, there to lie till he dissolves 

 its bonds again." 



But here is a bit of snow which seems less pure, 

 with grayish patches here and there. Down again 

 to sparrow-level and bring the glass to bear. 

 Your farmer friend will tell you that they are 

 snow-fleas which are snowed down with the flakes ; 

 the entomologist will call them Achorutes nivicola 

 and he knows that they have prosaically wiggled 

 their way from the crevices of bark on the nearest 

 tree-trunk. One's thrill of pleasure at this unex- 

 pected discovery will lead one to adopt sparrow- 

 views whenever larger game is lacking. 



I walked erstwhile upon tby frozen waves, 



And heard the streams amid thy ice-locked caves; 



I peered down thy crevasses blue and dim, 



Standing in awe upon the dizzy rim. 



Beyond me lay the inlet still and blue, 



Behind, the mountains loomed upon the view 



Like storm-wraiths gathered from the low-hung sky. 



A gust of wind swept past with heavy sigh, 



And lo ! I listened to the ice-stream's song 



Of winter when the nights grow dark and long, 



And bright stars flask above thy fields of snow, 



The cold waste sparkling in the pallid glow. 



Charles Keeler. 



