282 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



startling assertion, but an August day in the bird-world 

 is more apt to be silent than a day in January. With 

 the wind blowing at the rate of thirty miles an hour, the 

 air thick with falling flakes of snow, and the temper- 

 ature 20° Fahr. or less, one is, perhaps naturally, dis- 

 posed to stay in-doors, and to take it for granted that 

 the entire bird- world is of a like way of thinking ; but 

 herein mankind sadly errs ; for even during such days, 

 both in the woods and fields, there are birds and birds. 

 As a proof of this, one need only mention crows and 

 snow-birds ; but I am not speaking ironically, but sober- 

 ly, discreetly, cautiously, when I say that our woods, at 

 least in midwinter, often contain as many species, usu- 

 ally even more individuals, than in midsummer, and al- 

 most equal the early spring when the northward troop- 

 ing warblers throng every nook and corner, even to the 

 very outskirts of the town. The merit of the pudding 

 is the presence of the plums, and winter is by no means 

 a fruitless batter if there be birds among the boughs. 



Early in the winter there is pretty sure to come rain 

 after rain, and often snow upon snow ; and if succeeding 

 these we have a wide-reaching rain-storm, the snows are 

 melted, the river swollen, and a freshet results. The 

 gently sloping banks of the creek here at the bridge of- 

 fer no barrier to the encroaching waters, and the narrow 

 stream becomes for a time a noble river in every feat- 

 ure except depth. 



A freshet, whether it happens in summer or winter, 

 is a thoroughly enjoyable and instructive occurrence; 

 but is peculiarly attractive in winter if followed by 

 freezing weather. I can recall several such during the 



