20 
RURAL HOURS. 
Our little river runs full and swift, spread over the banks to 
nearly twice its usual widtli ; the water is a fine light green, 
quite different from its darker summer tint of transparent gray. 
It is singular that snow and ice in large quantities should always 
change the color of a stream which they have helped to fill; 
but so it is : all the waters which flow from the glaciers in Swit- 
zerland have a peculiar tint. With us, this effect is seen for a 
few days only, when the ice first breaks up in spring. Saw a cat- 
erpillar this afternoon, the first that has crossed our path. 
Thursday, 30th. — The song-sparrows and bluebirds are here, 
and have been with us several days. The robins are getting 
quite numerous ; they seem to come in detachments, or possibly 
they only pass from one neighborhood to another in flocks. Their 
note is very pleasant, and after the silent winter, falls with double 
sweetness on the ear. Their portly persons and warm red jackets 
make them very conspicuous flying about among the naked branch- 
es, or running over the wilted grass. They are more frequent- 
ly seen on the ground than any other bird we have, excepting the 
sparrow, and it is amusing to watch the different gait of the two. 
The sparrow glides along with great agifity and ease ; whether in 
the grass or on the gravel, his movement is light and free : but 
robin usually makes more fuss ; he runs by starts, drops his head, 
raises his tail, moves rapidly for a few feet, and then stops sud- 
denly, repeating the same course of manoeuvres until he takes 
flight. The European robin is a smaller bird than ours, and lives 
through the year as far north as England, cheering his native 
fields with a simple lay even during the cold weather : his habits 
are different from those of our own bird ; he builds in grassy 
banks, and has a trick of scraping dead leaves together before 
