I xxvi ] 



are thriving, rabbits rear their young undisturbed, 

 and even deer have been repeatedly seen in Concord 

 within recent years, — the last-named a circumstance 

 which Thoreau would have rejoiced to record in let- 

 ters of gold. 



There are, however, many sections of Concord 

 which remain in practically the same state of wild- 

 ness which made them so attractive to Thoreau, and 

 one can easily find the same birds and flowers and 

 witness the same phenomena of the advancing sea- 

 sons. Best of all, Walden Pond — the one locality in 

 Concord which is most closely associated with Thor- 

 eau in the public mind — is little changed from what 

 it was when Thoreau built his famous hut by its shore 

 and there lived the unique hermit life of which he has 

 given so full an account in Walden. For a number of 

 years the Fitchburg Railroad took advantage of its 

 proximity to the pond to exploit it as a picnic resort, 

 and every summer thousands of people were brought 

 to its shores to enjoy "a day off": boating on the 

 pond, swinging in the pines, patronizing the lemon- 

 ade-stands and bowling-alleys, and then going away 

 and leaving the usual assortment of lunch-boxes, 

 waste paper, peanut-shells, etc., — the whole a pro- 

 ceeding which would surely have brought sorrow to 

 Thoreau's heart. But there came a blissful day when 

 the picnic buildings burned up, and they were never 

 replaced, so that once more the pond assumed its 

 serene attitude and has retained it ever since. Much 



