THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW 75 



like the tree sparrow and the junco, feed upon the 

 weeds and grasses that ripen unmolested along the 

 roadsides and in the waste places. A mixed flock of 

 these small birds lived several days last winter upon 

 the seeds of the ragweed in my mowing-field. 



The weeds came up in the early fall after the field 

 was sowed to clover and timothy. They threatened 

 to choke out the grass. Hooked at them and thought 

 with dismay of how they would cover the field by 

 another fall. After a time the snow came, a foot 

 and a half of it, till only the tops of the seedy rag- 

 weeds showed above the level white. Then the jun- 

 cos, goldfinches, and tree sparrows came ; and there 

 was a five-day shucking of ragweed seed on the 

 crusty snow — five days of life and plenty for the 

 birds. 



Then I looked again, and thought that weeds and 

 winters, which were made when the world was made 

 — that even ragweeds and winters have a part in 

 the beautiful divine scheme of things. 



" The north wind doth blow 

 And we shall have snow " — 



but the wild geese are going over ; the wild mice 

 have harvested their acorns ; the bees have clustered ; 

 the woodchucks have gone to sleep ; the muskrats 

 have nearly finished their lodge ; the sap in the big 

 hickory tree by the side of the house has crept down 

 out of reach of the fingers of the frost. And what 

 has become of Robin, poor thing ? 



