The Coming of the Birds 77 



soon heard the birds that sang, and whistled 

 after a long line of kill-deer plover that hur- 

 ried by, every one calling to his fellows. It 

 was something to know that the coming of 

 the birds can rouse a German out of his 

 everlasting problems. He had more to say 

 of the springtide so near at hand than had I, 

 and, nosing over the ground, found nine 

 vigorous plants in aftive growth, and spoke 

 so learnedly of Cyperus, Galium, Allium, and 

 Saponaria that I as glibly thought, in jealous 

 mood, " Confound him !" for now he was 

 taking possession of my province and show- 

 ing me my littleness ; but then I had dragged 

 him out of his problems. 



The truth is, I was in something like 

 despair when we started out, for I feared a 

 lefture on physical geography, and, indeed, 

 did not quite escape ; but the bitter was well 

 mixed with the sweet, and he in time listened 

 with all my ardor to the birds that braved the 

 boisterous wind and were not afraid of a river 

 wilder than they had ever seen before. The 

 day proved to be of more significance than as 

 regards mere glacial geology. It was a fore- 

 taste of what was coming in April. I drew 

 a glowing pifture of what our April meant, 

 7* 



