32 STUDIES IN THE FIELD AND FOREST. 



raven, the scream of the jay, or the quick hammering of 

 the woodpecker upon the hollow trunk of some ancient 

 ^standard of the forest. All these sounds are endued 

 ■with a pleasing cadence, and with them are associated 

 ■some of my most agreeable recollections of nature. 



The orchards at this time are frequented by wood- 

 peckers of several species, so interesting on account of 

 their lively motions, their brilliant plumage, distin- 

 guished from that of other birds by its contrasted colors, 

 and on account of their curious habit of winding in 

 and out, and over and under the branches of trees. 

 Sometimes a multitude of these birds will assemble 

 together, in company with the little chickadees, and 

 make the woods resound with their querulous voices. 

 ■Occasionally we arouse a bevy of whistling quails, 

 which have maintained a snug silence under the juni- 

 per bushes, whither they resort for their fragrant repast 

 of winter berries, and while sauntering onward, the 

 ^whirring partridge startles one by its sudden flight, 

 directly from under our feet. 



The mild serenity of the weather ; the fresh odors 

 that arise from thawing vegetation ; the beautiful haze 

 that surrounds the horizon, reflecting all the colors of 

 the rainbow ; the lively chattering of poultry in the 

 farm yard; the bleating of flocks and the lowing of 

 kine.; an occasional concert of crows in the neighbor- 

 ing wood ; the checkered landscape of snow-drifts, ris- 

 ing out of the brown earth, and gleaming in the sun- 

 shine, and the soft white light that glows from distant 

 hills and spires ; — all these rural sights and sounds 

 come upon the senses with a ravishment never felt in 

 the fairest gardens or the most delightful clime. Now 

 and then in the midst of this harmonious discord, as if 

 to remind us of the past delights of summer, a solitary 



