--Disippus, Philodice, Antiopa, and Comma--were on
the wing, and a single Philodice (our common yellow butterfly) was
flying as late as the 16th. Wild flowers of many kinds--not less than a
hundred, certainly--were in bloom; among them the exquisite little
pimpernel, or poor man's weather-glass. My daily notes are full of
complimentary allusions to the weather. Once in a while it rained, and
under date of the 6th I find this record,--"Everybody complaining of
the heat;" but as terrestrial matters go, the month was remarkably
propitious up to the 25th. Then, all without warning,--unless possibly
from the pimpernel, which nobody heeded,--a violent snow-storm descended
upon us. Railway travel and telegraphic communication were seriously
interrupted, while from up and down the coast came stories of shipwreck
and loss of life. Winter was here in earnest; for the next three months
good walking days would be few.

December opened with a mild gray morning. The snow had already
disappeared, leaving only the remains of a drift here and there in the
lee of a stone-wall; the ground was saturated with water; every meadow
was like a lake; and but for the greenness of the fields in a few
favored spots, the season might have been late March instead of early
December. Of course such hours were never meant to be wasted within
doors. So I started out, singing as I went,--

"While God invites, how blest the day!"

But the next morning was pleasant likewise; and the next; and still the
next; and so the story went on, till in the end, omitting five days of
greater or less inclemency, I had spent nearly the entire month in the
open air. I could hardly have done better had I been in Florida.

All my neighbors pronounced this state of things highly exceptional;
many were sure they had never known the like. At the time I fully agreed
with them. Now, however, looking back over my previous year's notes, I
come upon such entries as these: "December 3d. The day has been warm.
Found chickweed and knawel in bloom, and an old garden was full of
fresh-looking pansies." "4th. A calm, warm morning." "5th. Warm and
rainy." "6th. Mild and bright." "7th. A most beautiful winter day, mild
and calm." "8th. Even milder and more beautiful than yesterday." "11th.
Weather very mild since last entry. Pickering hylas peeping to-day."
"12th. Still very warm; hylas peeping in several places." "13th. Warm
and bright." "14th. If possible, a more beautiful day tha