
          196.

75
Dec. 30, 1899.  The temperature during the past week
has been below freezing-point.  Beginning with Thursday
the thermometer has registered lower and lower
each day, so that to-day is probably the coldest day,
thus far, of the season.  We met at the Catonsville terminus,
well loaded down, each with a hatchet besides
his package of lunch, for to-day we intended to do our
house-building.  We went our regular route to the ravine
<s>for</s> as we wanted to see our brook from the beginning
now in the throes of Jack Frost.  Snow is still lying 
on the ground, for although hardly an inch of it fell
last Wed. evaporation has proceeded very slowly and the 
sun has melted it but very little.  One of the first things
that attracted our attention was the impression of
various foot<s>steps</s>prints.  Two of these were met with quite frequently;
we concluded that they had been made by the
rabbit and the squirrel.  At one place several little
birds attracted our attention.  But what interested 
us most was the brook.  Why was it that in many 
places it was not frozen, when in one deep quiet place
        