detail concernijng my. first appearance on this sub- 

 Juhgry sphere-' as:a; great compliment. I hope they 

 will not be annoyed, but will evince an equal 

 concern in my affairs, when I now pronounce a 

 similar repudiation of an accepted astronomical 

 item recorded in the calendars of most civilized 

 nations. 



In my garden I wish to consider that spring 

 set in on the 7th of March. In so far as the birds 

 are concerned it might have begun in the middle 

 of January, for many of them have been singing 

 since then. Indeed, the larks in the neighboring 

 fields have hardly ceased to fill the air with their 

 music all the winter. It seems to me that I 

 have never crossed the meadows without hear- 

 ing them, and I have watched them and lis- 

 tened to their songs even in the midst of a snow- 

 storm. 



On the yth and the few days which have elapsed 

 since, the garden, in comparison with winter, has 

 looked quite gay with its long fringes and clumps 

 of crocuses, snowdrops, violets, and hepaticas in 

 full bloom, and it is quite clear the winter slumber 

 is over, and the hope sown in autumn has devel- 

 102 



