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。