Pearls and PebblesHow fitting to close out the 20th century with a brand new edition of Pearls & Pebbles by the noted chronicler of pioneer life, Catharine Parr Traill. Published in 1894, Pearls & Pebbles is an unusual book with a lasting charm, in which the author's broad focus ranges from the Canadian natural environment to early settlement of Upper Canada. Through Traill's eyes, we see the life of the pioneer woman, the disappearance of the forest, and the corresponding changes in the life of the Native Canadians who have inhabited that forest. Editor Elizabeth Thompson reminds us of the significance of the writings by Traill, the aged author/naturalist, who felt that the hours spent gathering the pebbles and pearls from her notebooks and journals written in the backwoods of Canada was not time wasted. |
From inside the book
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... given something back : " fresh matter , in the form of leaves , decayed branches and effete bark and fruitful seed . " Now that it has fallen , and as it decomposes , it provides a home for lichens and mosses . Finally , it will become ...
... given by their Creator to each one of His creatures , in accordance with His will and their several needs ! All day long , from sunrise to sunset , these birds are on the wing , as soon as the little ones are hatched , going and coming ...
... given such beauty to His creatures to enjoy . “ Father of earth and heaven , all , all are Thine ! The boundless tribes in ocean , air and plain ; And nothing lives , and moves , and breathes in vain ; Thou art their soul the impulse is ...
... constructed of twigs , grass , strips of bark , leaves , etc. and placed in a bush . Eggs , two to five , light greenish - blue . — McIlwraith , Birds of Ontario . The common name " Rain Crow ” was given the 24 PEARLS AND PEBBLES.
Catharine Parr Traill Elizabeth Helen Thompson. The common name " Rain Crow ” was given the Black - billed Cuckoo on account of her loud , oft - repeated note being heard before rain . There is another bird belonging to the Cuckoo family ...
Contents
3 | |
5 | |
9 | |
14 | |
21 | |
MORE ABOUT MY FEATHERED FRIENDS | 32 |
A DEFENSE | 45 |
NOTES FROM MY OLD DIARY | 49 |
THOUGHTS ON VEGETABLE INSTINCT | 109 |
SOME CURIOUS PLANTS | 115 |
SOME VARIETIES OF POLLEN | 120 |
THE CRANBERRY MARSH | 123 |
OUR NATIVE GRASSES | 126 |
INDIAN GRASS | 132 |
MOSSES AND LICHENS | 136 |
THE INDIAN MOSS BAG | 141 |
THE SPIDER | 58 |
PROSPECTING AND WHAT I FOUND IN MY DIGGING | 62 |
THE ROBIN AND THE MIRROR | 65 |
IN THE CANADIAN WOODS | 67 |
THE FIRST DEATH IN THE CLEARING | 82 |
ALONE IN THE FOREST | 90 |
ON THE ISLAND OF MINNEWAWA | 99 |
THE CHILDREN OF THE FOREST | 103 |
SOMETHING GATHERS UP THE FRAGMENTS | 144 |
APPENDIX A | 151 |
APPENDIX B | 181 |
APPENDIX C | 183 |
ENDNOTES | 187 |
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS | 199 |
INDEX | 203 |