
          458.

there has been very little melting of it.  The fields, therefore
were nearly all covered, a few isolated spots alone being exposed.  
In the woods, the snow was quite deep, very sunny
hillsides alone being exposed, besides those, <s>places</s> along warm springy
and marshy <s>places</s> areas.  I had left home at 12 o'clock, so reached B.
about half past twelve.  I went out the first road leading to the 
right and along the river.  In several sunny places Stellaria media
was exposed, examining the plants carefully several flowers were
found fully open besides any number of buds and fully ripened pods.
With the Stellaria were found also Draba verna and Lamium amplexicaule.  
Drake verna was in full bloom, the Lamium, however,
only showed its pretty pink buds.  I <s>kno</s> now crossed the field
entered the woods and went in the direction of the river, for quite a 
distance following a [the] brook.  I reached the brook near the spring.

Here I observed two coiled up  torpid snakes within about 3 ft. of each other.  I picked them
up, placed them in different positions but found no trace of life.
I though of trying another experiment, trying to thaw them out
near a fire, so collected a lot of dry wood, but when all was
ready found that I hadn't a single match.  Following the brook
down, I noticed in several places Symplocarpus foetidus, but as this
        