AS THEY TAKE THEIR FLIGHT 113 
solid, silent mass of blinding heat* Trees existed only 
to be cut down, and logs were an encumbrance on the 
ground, to be reduced to ashes* Animals lived but to 
be shot and trapped, and devoted to a multitude of 
uses* 
There was no study of nature in those days, for 
the growth of knowledge was as imperceptible as the 
expanding of the leaves. The Snowbirds, Chicka- 
dees, Crossbills, and Grosbeaks were welcome and 
entertaining visitors during the winter, but the grouse 
was treated as a domestic fowl, especially when the 
food supply was short* The silent coursing of the 
sap was the first awakening of spring, and troughs, 
pails, buckets, and kettles were called into requisition* 
Then came the swelling of the buds on the Basswood, 
the earliest fodder for the weakened cattle ; and 
through the entire year life was a struggle toward 
harmony with nature's inexorable routine* Every 
sound that reached the ear had a meaning. Every 
track, cut, and abrasion was seen and recognised* 
The atmosphere was instinct with life and rich with 
the blended odours of the woods. 
It would be a great mistake to say that all this world 
of natural life was not appreciated* It was more than 
appreciated ; it was lived* Now we must be content 
to effect an escape from the busy haunts in the full- 
ness of summer, and regain for a few days the blessing 
of liberty* Nature always holds out a welcome. She 
