EARLY SPRING IN MASSACHUSETTS. 121 
Railroad to Walden, 3 P. M. I see the popu- 
lus (apparently tremuloides , not grandidentata ) 
at the end of the railroad causeway, showing 
the down of its anient. Bigelow makes the 
tremuloides flower in April, the grandidentata 
in May.The little grain of wheat, triti- 
cum, is the noblest food of man, the lesser 
grains of other grasses are the food of passerine 
birds at present. Their diet is like man’s. 
The gods can never afford to leave a man in 
the world who is privy to any of their secrets. 
They cannot have a spy here. They will at 
once send him packing. How can you walk on 
ground w 7 here you see through it ? 
The telegraph harp has spoken to me more 
distinctly and effectually than any man ever 
did. 
March 12,1853. It is essential that a man 
confine himself to pursuits, a scholar, for in¬ 
stance, to studies which lie next to and con¬ 
duce to his life, which do not go against the 
grain either of his will or his imagination. 
The scholar finds in his experience some studies 
to be most fertile and radiant with light, others, 
dry, barren, and dark. If he is wise, he will 
not persevere in the last, as a plant in a cellar 
will strive towards the light. He will confine 
the observations of his mind as closely as possi¬ 
ble to the experience or life of his senses. His 
