94 
RURAL HOURS. 
foims of the wild creatures 'which so lately roamed over these 
hills, and we are half persuaded that the timid doe or the wily 
catamoimt is again drawuig near to diink from the fountain at 
our feet — we hear the crash of a diy branch, or the nistling of 
leaves, and we start as though expecting to see the painted war- 
rior, armed with flint-headed arrow's and tomahawk of stone, glid- 
ing through the wood toward us. It was but yesterday that 
such beings peopled the forest, beings with as much of life as 
runs within our own veins, who drank their daily draught from tlie 
springs we now call our own ; yesterday they were here, to-day 
scarce a vestige of their existence can be pointed out among us. 
Friday, 3 ls<. — Thunder-show'er this afternoon, everything grow- 
ing finely. The blackberry-bushes, very common here, are com- 
ing into flower along the road-sides and fences. The white thorn 
is also blooming ; there is a rustic elegance about its clusters 
w'hich leads one readily to admit its claims as a favorite of the 
poets — the form of this flower is so simple, and the colored heads 
of the stamens are so daintily pretty ; it has been opening for 
several days, and many of the bushes, or trees rather, ai-e in full 
flower. In tliis hilly climate, it blossoms late, still it saves its 
credit as the flower of May ; in the imral districts of England, 
“ the May ” is said to be a common name for the hawthorn. 
Walked about the shrubbery -with the hope of finding a rose 
open, but oim search was fruitless. Last year a few of the early 
kind bloomed in May, but the present season is more backwm'd. 
With us, the roses scarcely belong to spring, we should ratlier 
date om summer from their imfold’mg ; the bushes w'ere never 
more full of buds, however, and some of these are beginning to 
disclose their coloring ; but the greater number are still closely 
