26 EARLY SPRING IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
cut off his tail and legs, and substituted a visor 
for the head. The little fellow wore it inno¬ 
cently enough, not knowing what he had on 
forsooth, going about his small business pit-a- 
pat, and his black eyes sparkled beneath it when 
I remarked on its warmth, even as the wood¬ 
chuck’s might have done. Such should be the 
history of every piece of clothing that we wear. 
As I stood by Eagle Field wall, I heard a fine 
rattling sound from some dry seeds at my el¬ 
bow. It was occasioned by the wind rattling 
the fine seeds in those pods of the Indigo weed 
which were still closed, a distinct rattling din 
which drew my attention, like a small Indian cal¬ 
abash. Not a mere rattling of dry seeds, but the 
shaking of a rattle or a hundred rattles. 
As it is important to consider nature from 
the point of view of science, remembering the 
nomenclature and systems of men, and so, if 
possible, go a step further in that direction, so 
it is equally important often to ignore or forget 
all that men presume that they know, and take 
an original and unprejudiced view of nature, 
letting her make what impression she will on 
you, as the first men, and all children, and nat¬ 
ural men do. For our science, so called, is al¬ 
ways more barren and mixed with error than 
our sympathies are. 
As I go down the Boston road I see an Irish- 
