第1章

MyGardenAcquaintanceJamesRussellLowellONEofthemostdelightfulbooksinmyfather’slibrarywasWhite’s\"NaturalHistoryofSelborne。\"Formeithasrathergainedincharmwithyears。IusedtoreaditwithoutknowingthesecretofthepleasureIfoundinit，butasIgrowolderIbegintodetectsomeofthesimpleexpedientsofthisnaturalmagic。Openthebookwhereyouwill，ittakesyououtofdoors。InourbroilingJulyweatheronecanwalkoutwiththisgeniallygarrulousFellowofOrielandfindrefreshmentinsteadoffatigue。Youhavenotroubleinkeepingabreastofhimasheamblesalongonhishobby—horse，nowpointingtoaprettyview，nowstoppingtowatchthemotionsofabirdoraninsect，ortobagaspecimenfortheHonorableDainesBarringtonorMr。Pennant。InsimplicityoftasteandnaturalrefinementheremindsoneofWalton；intendernesstowardwhathewouldhavecalledthebrutecreation，ofCowper。Idonotknowwhetherhisdescriptionsofsceneryaregoodornot，buttheyhavemademefamiliarwithhisneighborhood。SinceIfirstreadhim，Ihavewalkedoversomeofhisfavoritehaunts，butIstillseethemthroughhiseyesratherthanbyanyrecollectionofactualandpersonalvision。Thebookhasalsothedelightfulnessofabsoluteleisure。Mr。Whiteseemsnevertohavehadanyharderworktodothantostudythehabitsofhisfeatheredfellow—townsfolk，ortowatchtheripeningofhispeachesonthewall。HisvolumesarethejournalofAdaminParadise，\"Annihilatingallthat’smadeToagreenthoughtinagreenshade。\" Itispositiverestonlytolookintothatgardenofhis。Itisvastlybetterthanto\"SeegreatDiocletianwalkIntheSaloniangarden’snobleshade，\" forthitherambassadorsintrudetobringwiththemthenoisesofRome，whileheretheworldhasnoentrance。NorumoroftherevoltoftheAmericanColoniesseemstohavereachedhim。\"Thenaturaltermofanhog’slife\"hasmoreinterestforhimthanthatofanempire。Burgoynemaysurrenderandwelcome；ofwhatconsequenceis*that*comparedwiththefactthatwecanexplaintheoddtumblingofrooksintheairbytheirturningover\"toscratchthemselveswithoneclaw\"？AllthecouriersinEuropespurringrowel—deepmakenostirinMr。White’slittleChartreuse；（1）butthearrivalofthehouse—martinadayearlierorlaterthanlastyearisapieceofnewsworthsendingexpresstoallhiscorrespondents。 （1）*LaGrandeChartreuse*wastheoriginalCarthusianmonasteryinFrance，wherethemostaustereprivacywasmaintained。 Anothersecretcharmofthisbookisitsinadvertenthumor，somuchthemoredeliciousbecauseunsuspectedbytheauthor。HowpleasantishisinnocentvanityinaddingtothelistoftheBritish，andstillmoreoftheSelbornian，*fauna！*Ibelievehewouldgladlyhaveconsentedtobeeatenbyatigeroracrocodile，ifbythatmeanstheoccasionalpresencewithintheparishlimitsofeitheroftheseanthropophagousbrutescouldhavebeenestablished。Hebragsofnofinesociety，butisplainlyalittleelatedby\"havingconsiderableacquaintancewithatamebrownowl。\"Mostofushaveknownourshareofowls，butfewcanboastofintimacywithafeatheredone。ThegreateventsofMr。White’slife，too，havethatdisproportionateimportancewhichisalwayshumorous。Tothinkofhishandshavingactuallybeenthoughworthy（asneitherWilloughby’snorRay’swere）toholdastiltedplover，the*Charadriushimaniopus，*withnobacktoe，andtherefore\"liable，inspeculation，toperpetualvacillations\"！Iwonder，bytheway，ifmetaphysicianshavenohindtoes。In1770hemakestheacquaintanceinSussexof\"anoldfamilytortoise，\"whichhadthenbeendomesticatedforthirtyyears。Itisclearthathefellinlovewithitatfirstsight。Wehavenomeansoftracingthegrowthofhispassion；butin1780wefindhimelopingwithitsobjectinapost— chaise。\"Therattleandhurryofthejourneysoperfectlyrouseditthat，whenIturneditoutinaborder，itwalkedtwicedowntothebottomofmygarden。\"ItreadslikeaCourtJournal：\"YesterdaymorningH。R。H。thePrincessAlicetookanairingofhalfanhourontheterraceofWindsorCastle。\"ThistortoisemighthavebeenamemberoftheRoyalSociety，ifhecouldhavecondescendedtosoignobleanambition。Ithadbutjustbeendiscoveredthatasurfaceinclinedatacertainanglewiththeplaneofthehorizontookmoreofthesun’srays。Thetortoisehadalwaysknownthis（thoughheunostentatiouslymadenoparadeofit），andusedaccordinglytotilthimselfupagainstthegarden—wallintheautumn。HeseemstohavebeenmoreofaphilosopherthanevenMr。Whitehimself，caringfornothingbuttogetunderacabbage—leafwhenitrained，orthesunwastoohot，andtoburyhimselfalivebeforefrost，——afour—footedDiogenes，whocarriedhistubonhisback。 Therearemoodsinwhichthiskindofhistoryisinfinitelyrefreshing。Thesecreatureswhomweaffecttolookdownuponasthedrudgesofinstinctaremembersofacommonwealthwhoseconstitutionrestsonimmovablebases。neveranyneedofreconstructionthere！*They*neverdreamofsettlingitbyvotethateighthoursareequaltoten，orthatonecreatureisascleverasanotherandnomore。*They*donotusetheirpoorwitsinregulatingGod’sclocks，northinktheycannotgoastraysolongastheycarrytheirguide—boardaboutwiththem，——adelusionweoftenpractiseuponourselveswithourhighandmightyreason，thatadmirablefinger—postwhichpointseverywayandalwaysright。ItisgoodforusnowandthentoconversewithaworldlikeMr。 White’s，whereManistheleastimportantofanimals。Butonewho，likeme，hasalwayslivedinthecountryandalwaysonthesamespot，isdrawntohisbookbyotheroccultsympathies。DowenotsharehisindignationatthatstupidMartinwhohadgraduatedhisthermometernolowerthan4oabovezeroofFahrenheit，sothatinthecoldestweathereverknownthemercurybaselyabscondedintothebulb，andleftustoseethevictoryslipthroughourfingers，justastheywereclosinguponit？Noman，Isuspect，everlivedlonginthecountrywithoutbeingbittenbythesemeteorologicalambitions。 Helikestobehotterandcolder，tohavebeenmoredeeplysnowedup，tohavemoretreesandlargerblowdownthanhisneighbors。 WithusdescendantsofthePuritansespecially，theseweather— competitionssupplytheabnegatedexcitementoftherace—course。 Menlearntovaluethermometersofthetrueimaginativetermperament，capableofprodigiouselationsandcorrespondingdejections。Theotherday（5thJuly）Imarked98ointheshade，myhighwatermark，higherbyonedegreethanIhadeverseenitbefore。Ihappenedtomeetaneighbor；aswemoppedourbrowsateachother，hetoldmethathehadjustcleared100o，andIwenthomeabeatenman。Ihadnotfelttheheatbefore，saveasabeautifulexaggerationofsunshine；butnowitoppressedmewiththeprosaicvulgarityofanoven。Whathadbeenpoeticintensitybecameallatoncerhetoricalhyperbole。Imightsuspecthisthermometer（asindeedIdid，forweHarvardmenareapttothinkillofanygraduationbutourown）；butitwasapoorconsolation。 ThefactremainedthathisheraldMercury，standingatiptoe，couldlookdownonmine。IseemtoglimpsesomethingofthisfamiliarweaknessinMr。White。He，too，hassharedinthesemercurialtriumphsanddefeats。NordoIdoubtthathehadatruecountry— gentleman’sinterestintheweather—cock；thathisfirstquestiononcomingdownofamorningwas，likeBarabas’s，\"Intowhatquarterpeersmyhalcyon’sbill？\" Itisaninnocentandhealthfulemploymentofthemind，distractingonefromtoocontinualstudyofhimself，andleadinghimtodwellratherupontheindigestionsoftheelementsthanhisown。 \"Didthewindbackround，orgoaboutwiththesun？\"isarationalquestionthatbearsnotremotelyonthemakingofhayandtheprosperityofcrops。Ihavelittledoubtthattheregulatedobservationofthevaneinmanydifferentplaces，andtheinterchangeofresultsbytelegraph，wouldputtheweather，asitwere，inourpower，bybetrayingitsambushesbeforeitisreadytogivetheassault。Atfirstsight，nothingseemsmoredrollytrivialthanthelivesofthosewhosesingleachievementistorecordthewindandthetemperaturethreetimesaday。Yetsuchmenaredoubtlesssentintotheworldforthisspecialend，andperhapsthereisnokindofaccurateobservation，whateveritsobject，thathasnotitsfinaluseandvalueforsomeoneorother。Itiseventobehopedthatthespeculationsofournewspapereditorsandtheirmyriadcorrespondenceuponthesignsofthepoliticalatmospheremayalsofilltheirappointedplaceinawell—regulateduniverse，ifitbeonlythatofsupplyingsomanymorejack—o’—lanternstothefuturehistorian。Nay，theobservationsonfinanceofanM。C。whosesoleknowledgeofthesubjecthasbeenderivedfromalife—longsuccessingettingalivingoutofthepublicwithoutpayinganyequivalenttherefor，willperhapsbeofinteresthereaftertosomeexplorerofour*cloacamaxima，*wheneveritiscleansed。 FormanyyearsIhavebeeninthehabitofnotingdownsomeoftheleadingeventsofmyemboweredsolitude，suchasthecomingofcertainbirdsandthelike，——akindof*memoirespourservir，* afterthefashionofWhite，ratherthanproperlydigestednaturalhistory。Ithoughtitnotimpossiblethatafewsimplestoriesofmywingedacquaintancesmightbefoundentertainingbypersonsofkindredtaste。 Thereisacommonnotionthatanimalsarebettermeteorologiststhanmen，andIhavelittledoubtthatinimmediateweather—wisdomtheyhavetheadvantageofoursophisticatedsenses（thoughI suspectasailororshepherdwouldbetheirmatch），butIhaveseennothingthatleadsmetobelievetheirmindscapableoferectingthehoroscopeofawholeseason，andlettingusknowbeforehandwhetherthewinterwillbesevereorthesummerrainless。Imorethansuspectthattheclerkoftheweatherhimselfdoesnotalwaysknowverylonginadvancewhetherheistodrawanorderforhotorcold，dryormoist，andthemusquashisscarcelikelytobewiser。 Ihavenotedbuttwodays’differenceinthecomingofthesong— sparrowbetweenaveryearlyandaverybackwardspring。ThisveryyearIsawthelinnetsatworkthatching，justbeforeasnow— stormwhichcoveredthegroundseveralinchesdeepforanumberofdays。Theystruckworkandleftusforawhile，nodoubtinsearchoffood。Birdsfrequentlyperishfromsuddenchangesinourwhimsicalspringweatherofwhichtheyhadnoforeboding。Morethanthirtyyearsago，acherry—tree，theninfullbloom，nearmywindow，wascoveredwithhumming—birdsbenumbedbyafallofmingledrainandsnow，whichprobablykilledmanyofthem。Itshouldseemthattheircomingwasdatedbytheheightofthesun，whichbetraysthemintounthriftymatrimony； \"SoprikethhemNatureinhircorages；\"（1） buttheirgoingisanothermatter。Thechimneyswallowsleaveusearly，forexample，apparentlysosoonastheirlatestfledglingsarefirmenoughofwingtoattemptthelongrowing—matchthatisbeforethem。Ontheotherhandthewild—geeseprobablydonotleavetheNorthtilltheyarefrozenout，forIhaveheardtheirbuglessoundingsouthwardsolateasthemiddleofDecember。Whatmaybecalledlocalmigrationsaredoubtlessdictatedbythechancesoffood。Ihaveoncebeenvisitedbylargeflightsofcross—bills；andwheneverthesnowlieslonganddeepontheground，aflockofcedar—birdscomesinmid—wintertoeattheberriesonmyhawthorns。Ihaveneverbeenquiteabletofathomthelocal，orrathergeographicalpartialitiesofbirds。neverbeforethissummer（1870）havetheking—birds，handsomestofflycatchers，builtinmyorchard；thoughIalwaysknowwheretofindthemwithinhalfamile。Therose—breastedgrosbeakhasbeenafamiliarbirdinBrookline（threemilesaway），yetIneversawoneheretilllastJuly，whenIfoundafemalebusyamongmyraspberriesandsurprisinglybold。Ihopeshewas*prospecting*withaviewtosettlementinourgarden。Sheseemed，onthewhole，tothinkwellofmyfruit，andIwouldgladlyplantanotherbedifitwouldhelptowinoversodelightfulaneighbor。 （1）Chaucer’s*CanterburyTales，Prologue，*line11。 Thereturnoftherobiniscommonlyannouncedbythenewspapers，likethatofeminentornotoriouspeopletoawatering— place，asthefirstauthenticnotificationofspring。Andsuchhisappearanceintheorchardandgardenundoubtedlyis。But，inspiteofhisnameofmigratorythrush，hestayswithusallwinter，andI haveseenhimwhenthethermometermarked15degreesbelowzeroofFahrenheit，armedimpregnablywithin，（1）likeEmerson’sTitmouse，andascheerfulashe。Therobinhasabadreputationamongpeoplewhodonotvaluethemselveslessforbeingfondofcherries。Thereis，Iadmit，aspiceofvulgarityinhim，andhissongisratheroftheBloomfieldsort，toolargelyballastedwithprose。 HisethicsareofthePoorRichardschool，andthemainchancewhichcallsforthallhisenergyisaltogetherofthebelly。Heneverhasthesefineintervalsoflunacyintowhichhiscousins，thecatbirdandthemavis，areapttofall。Butfora’thatandtwiceasmuckle’sa’that，IwouldnotexchangehimforallthecherriesthatevercameoutofAsiaMinor。Withwhateverfaults，hehasnotwhollyforfeitedthatsuperioritywhichbelongstothechildrenofnature。 HehasafinertasteinfruitthancouldbedistilledfrommanysuccessivecommitteesoftheHorticulturalSociety，andheeatswitharelishinggulpnotinferiortoDr。Johnson’s。Hefeelsandfreelyexerciseshisrightofeminentdomain。Hisistheearliestmessofgreenpeas；hisallthemulberriesIhadfanciedmine。Butifhegetalsothelion’sshareoftheraspberries，heisagreatplanter，andsowsthosewildonesinthewoodsthatsolacethepedestrian，andgiveamomentarycalmeventothejadedvictimsoftheWhiteHills。 hekeepsastricteyeoverone’sfruit，andknowstoashadeofpurplewhenyourgrapeshavecookedlongenoughinthesun。 Duringtheseveredroughtafewyearsagotherobinswhollyvanishedfrommygarden。Ineithersawnorheardoneforthreeweeks。meanwhileasmallforeigngrape—vine，rathershyofbearing，seemedtofindthedustyaircongenial，and，dreaming，perhapsofitssweetArgosacrossthesea，deckeditselfwithascoreorsooffairbunches。Iwatchedthemfromdaytodaytilltheyshouldhavesecretedsugarenoughfromthesunbeams，andatlastmadeupmymindthatIwouldcelebratemyvintagethenextmorning。Buttherobins，too，hadsomehowkeptnoteofthem。Theymusthavesentoutspies，asdidtheJewsintothepromisedland，beforeIwasstirring。WhenIwentwithmybasketatleastadozenofthesewingedvintagersbustledoutfromamongtheleaves，andalightingonthenearesttreesinterchangedsomeshrillremarksaboutmeofaderogatorynature。Theyhadfairlysackedthevine。NotWellington’sveteransmadecleanerworkofaSpanishtown；notFederalsorConfederateswereevermoreimpartialintheconfiscationofneutralchickens。IwaskeepingmygrapesasecrettosurprisethefairFidelewith，buttherobinsmadethemaprofoundersecrettoherthanIhadmeant。Thetatteredremnantofasinglebunchwasallmyharvest—home。Howpaltryitlookedatthebottomofmybasket，——asifahumming—birdhadlaidheregginaneagle’snest！Icouldnothelplaughing；andtherobinsseemedtojoinheartilyinthemerriment。Therewasanativegrape—vinecloseby，bluewithitslessrefinedabundance，butmycunningthievespreferredtheforeignflavor。CouldItaxthemwithwantoftaste？ （1）\"Forwellthesoul，ifstoutwithin，Canarmimpregnablytheskin。\" *TheTitmouse，*lines75，76。 Therobinsarenotgoodsolosingers，buttheirchorus，as，likeprimitivefire—worshippers，theyhailthereturnoflightandwarmthtotheworld，isunrivalled。Thereareahundredsinginglikeone。 Theyarenoisyenoughthen，andsing，aspoetsshould，withnoafterthought。Butwhentheycomeaftercherriestothetreenearmywindow，theymuffletheirvoices，andtheirfaint*pippippop！* soundsfarawayatthebottomofthegarden，wheretheyknowI shallnotsuspectthemofrobbingthegreatblack—walnutofitsbitter—rindedstore。（1）TheyarefeatheredPecksniffs，tobesure，butthenhowbrightlytheirbreasts，thatlookrathershabbyinthesunlight，shineinarainydayagainstthedarkgreenofthefringe— tree！Aftertheyhavepinchedandshakenallthelifeofanearthworm，asItaliancookspoundallthespiritoutofasteak，andthengulpedhim，theystandupinhonestself—confidence，expandtheirredwaistcoatswiththevirtuousairofalobbymember，andoutfaceyouwithaneyethatcalmlychallengesinquiry。\"Do*I* looklikeabirdthatknowstheflavorofrawvermin？Ithrowmyselfuponajuryofmypeers。Askanyrobinifheeverateanythinglessasceticthanthefrugalberryofthejuniper，andhewillanswerthathisvowforbidshim。\"Cansuchanopenbosomcoversuchdepravity？Alas，yes！Ihavenodoubthisbreastwasredderatthatverymomentwiththebloodofmyraspberries。Onthewhole，heisadoubtfulfriendinthegarden。Hemakeshisdessertofallkindsofberries，andisnotaversefromearlypears。Butwhenwerememberhowomnivorousheis，eatinghisownweightinanincrediblyshorttime，andthatNatureseemsexhaustlessinherinventionofnewinsectshostiletovegetation，perhapswemayreckonthathedoesmoregoodthanharm。Formyownpart，I wouldratherhavehischeerfulnessandkindneighborhoodthanmanyberries。 （1）Thescreech—owl，whosecry，despitehisillname，isoneothesweetestsoundsinnature，softenshisvoiceinthesamewaywiththemostbeguilingmockeryofdistance。J。R。L。 Forhiscousin，thecatbird，Ihaveastillwarmerregard。Alwaysagoodsinger，hesometimesnearlyequalsthebrownthrush，andhasthemeritofkeepinguphismusiclaterintheeveningthananybirdofmyfamiliaracquaintance。EversinceIcanremember，apairofthemhavebuiltinagiganticsyringanearourfrontdoor，andIhaveknownthemaletosingalmostuninterruptedlyduringtheeveningsofearlysummertilltwilightduskenedintodark。Theydiffergreatlyinvocaltalent，butallhaveadelightfulwayofcrooningover，and，asitwere，rehearsingtheirsonginanundertone，whichmakestheirnearnessalwaysunobtrusive。Thoughthereisthemosttrustworthywitnesstotheimitativepropensityofthisbird，Ihaveonlyonce，duringanintimacyofmorethanfortyyears，heardhimindulgeit。 Inthatcase，theimitationwasbynomeanssocloseastodeceive，butafreereproductionofthenotesofsomeotherbirds，especiallyoftheoriole，asakindofvariationinhisownsong。Thecatbirdisasshyastherobinisvulgarlyfamiliar。Onlywhenhisnestorhisfledglingsareapproacheddoeshebecomenoisyandalmostaggressive。Ihaveknownhimtostationhisyounginathickcornel—bushontheedgeoftheraspberry—bed，afterthefruitbegantoripen，andfeedthemthereforaweekormore。Insuchcasesheshowsnoneofthatconsciousguiltwhichmakestherobincontemptible。Onthecontrary，hewillmaintainhispostinthethicket，andsharplyscoldtheintruderwhoventurestosteal*his* berries。Afterall，hisclaimisonlyfortithes，whiletherobinwillbagyourentirecropifhegetachance。 Dr。Watts’sstatementthat\"birdsintheirlittlenestsagree，\"liketoomanyothersintendedtoformtheinfantmind，isveryfarfrombeingtrue。Onthecontrary，themostpeacefulrelationofthedifferentspeciestoeachotheristhatofarmedneutrality。theyareveryjealousofneighbors。AfewyearsagoIwasmuchinterestedinthehousebuildingofapairofsummeryellow—birds。Theyhadchosenaveryprettysitenearthetopofatallwhitelilac，withineasyeye—shotofachamberwindow。Averypleasantthingitwastoseetheirlittlehomegrowingwithmutualhelp，towatchtheirindustriousskillinterruptedonlybylittleflirtsandsnatchesofendearment，frugallycutshortbythecommon—senseofthetinyhouse—wife。Theyhadbroughttheirworknearlytoanend，andhadalreadybeguntolineitwithfern—down，thegatheringofwhichdemandedmoredistantjourneysandlongerabsences。But，alas！ thesyringa，immemorialmanorofthecatbirds，wasnotmorethantwentyfeetaway，andthese\"giddyneighbors\"had，asitappeared，beenallalongjealouslywatchful，thoughsilent，witnessesofwhattheydeemedanintrusionofsquatters。Nosoonerweretheprettymatesfairlygoneforanewloadoflining，than\"TotheirunguardednesttheseweaselScotsCamestealing。\"（1） Silentlytheyflewbackandforth，eachgivingavengefuldabatthenestinpassing。Theydidnotfall—toanddeliberatelydestroyit，fortheymighthavebeencaughtattheirmischief。Asitwas，whenevertheyellow—birdscameback，theirenemieswerehiddenintheirownsight—proofbush。Severaltimestheirunconsciousvictimsrepaireddamages，butatlength，aftercounseltakentogether，theygaveitup。Perhaps，likeotherunletteredfolk，theycametotheconclusionthattheDevilwasinit，andyieldedtotheinvisiblepersecutionofwitchcraft。 （1）Shakespeare：*KingHenryV。，*acti，scene2。 Therobins，byconstantattacksandannoyances，havesucceededindrivingofftheblue—jayswhousedtobuildinourpines，theirgaycolorsandquaint，noisywaysmakingthemwelcomeandamusingneighbors。Ioncehadthechanceofdoingakindnesstoahouseholdofthem，whichtheyreceivedwithveryfriendlycondescension。Ihadhadmyeyeforsometimeuponanest，andwaspuzzledbyaconstantflutteringofwhatseemedfull—grownwingsinitwheneverIdrewnigh。AtlastIclimbedthetree，inspiteofangryprotestsfromtheoldbirdsagainstmyintrusion。Themysteryhadaverysimplesolution。Inbuildingthenest，alongpieceofpackthreadhadbeensomewhatlooselywovenin。Threeoftheyounghadcontrivedtoentanglethemselvesinit，andhadbecomefull—grownwithoutbeingabletolaunchthemselvesupontheair。Onewasunharmed；anotherhadsotightlytwistedthecordaboutitsshankthatonefootwascurledupandseemedparalyzed； thethird，initsstrugglestoescape，hadsawnthroughthefleshofthethighandsomuchharmeditselfthatIthoughtithumanetoputanendtoitsmisery。WhenItookoutmyknifetocuttheirhempenbonds，theheadsofthefamilyseemedtodivinemyfriendlyintent。