268 GLEANINGS FROM NATURE. 



puny the livelong day. Their whistles and chirps, 

 twit UTS and trills, uttered in unison, make a jubilee 

 in .January equal to any heard in June when the birds 

 a iv supposed to be most numerous. I have listened 

 manifold times to such a chorus and so have many 

 other persons, particularly Dr. C. C. Abbott, who 

 described as follows one he heard on a mid-winter 

 morn with the mercury at zero : " The clear call of 

 the crested tit opened the concert. The abundant 

 chickadees twittered ; kinglets trilled a merry rounde- 

 lay ; snow birds chirped ; a cardinal performed an inim- 

 itable solo; and to all the downy woodpecker was 

 alike attentive and drummed a tuneful accompani- 

 ment on the most resonant tree in all the woods." 



IV. 



In books we find portrayed the thoughts of man 

 in nature, those of God. Tired of poring over the 

 former I sought the woods and fields on the afternoon 

 of a recent dim December day to study the latter, 

 and, if possible, solve some problem, ever present, 

 ever interesting, concerning the life history of beast 

 or bird, of bug or bramble. 



The blue sky of the forenoon had given way to a 

 sombre gray which far and wide came down to meet 

 the earth. No insect life was abroad on such a day. 

 But if the insects were lacking, what of the birds? 

 Had the leaden sky and north wind caused them, too, 

 to seek a place of shelter and remain silent and invis- 

 ible? As I asked the question the rrr-rrli-rrh of a 

 woodpecker in a neighboring beech denied the allega- 



