The white birch sap flows yet from a stump cut last fall.

April 23

P. M. — Up Assabet to white cedars. 

The river risen again, on account of the rain of the last three days, to nearly as high as on the 11th. I can just get over Hosmer’s meadow. 

The red maple did not shed pollen on the 19th and could not on the 20th, 21st, or 22d, on account of rain; so this must be the first day, — the 23d, —though I see none quite so forward by the river. 

The wind is now westerly and pretty strong. 

No sap to be seen in the bass. The white birch sap flows yet from a stump cut last fall, and a few small bees, flies, etc., are attracted by it.

Along the shore by Dove Rock I hear a faint tseep like a fox colored sparrow, and, looking sharp, detect upon a maple a white-throated sparrow. It soon flies to the ground amid the birches two or three rods distant, a plump-looking bird and, with its bright white and yellow marks on the head distinctly separated from the slate-color, methinks the most brilliant of the sparrows. Those bright colors, however, are not commonly observed.  

The white cedar swamp consists of hummocks, now surrounded by water, where you go jumping from one to another. The fans are now dotted with the minute reddish staminate flowers, ready to open. The skunk cabbage leaf has expanded in one open place there; so it is at least as early as the hellebore of yesterday. 

Returning, when near the Dove Rock saw a musquash crossing in front. He dived without noise in the middle of the river, and I saw by a bubble or two where he was crossing my course, a few feet before my boat. He came up quietly amid the alders on my right, and lay still there with his head and back partly out. His back looked reddish-brown with a black grain inmixed. 

I think that that white root washed up since the ice broke up, with a stout stem flat on one side and narrow green or yellowish leaf-bud rolled up from each side, with a figure in, in the middle, is the yellow lily, and probably I have seen no pontederia. 

The white lily root is thickly clothed with a slate-blue fur or felt, close-fitting, reflecting prismatic colors under the microscope, but generally the slate-color of the fur of most animals, and perhaps it is designed to serve a similar use, viz. for warmth and dryness. The end of the root is abruptly rounded and sends forth leaves, and along the sides of the root are attached oval bulb-like offshoots, one or two inches long, with very narrow necks, ready, apparently, to be separated soon from the parent stock. 

Hear the yellow redpoll sing on the maples below Dove Rock, —a peculiar though not very interesting strain, or jingle. 

A very handsome little beetle, deep, about a quarter of an inch long, with pale-golden wing-cases, artificially and handsomely marked with burnished dark-green marks and spots, one side answering to the other; front and beneath burnished dark-green; legs brown or cinnamon-color. It was on the side of my boat. 

Brought it home in a clam’s shells tied up, —a good insect-box.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, April 23, 1856

The river risen again. I can just get over Hosmer’s meadow. See April 23, 1855 ("River higher than before since winter. Whole of Lee Meadow covered."); See also  April 22, 1856 ("These rain-storms -- this is the third day of one -- characterize the season, and belong rather to winter than to summer.");  April 22, 1857 ("The river higher than before and rising. C. and I sail rapidly . . .  cutting off great bends by crossing the meadows.")

The red maple did not shed pollen on the 19th and could not on the 20th, 21st, or 22d, on account of rain; so this must be the first day, — the 23d. See April 18, 1856  ("Red maple stamens in some places project considerably, and it will probably blossom to-morrow if it is pleasant."); April 24, 1854 ("The first red maple blossoms — so very red over the water — are very interesting."): April 24, 1857 ("I see the now red crescents of the red maples in their prime . . . above the gray stems.") See also A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau, The Red Maple

I hear a faint tseep land, looking sharp, detect upon a maple a white-throated sparrow with its bright white and yellow marks on the head distinctly separated from the slate-color . . . See April 25, 1855 ("Hear a faint cheep and at length detect the white throated sparrow, the handsome and well-marked bird . . .  with a yellow spot on each side of the front, . . . I first saw the white-throated sparrow at this date last year. “); see also A Book of the Seasons: the White-throated Sparrow 

Up Assabet to white cedars. Cedar Swamp . .  .minute reddish staminate flowers, ready to open.  See April 23, 1855 ("White cedar to-morrow."); April 24, 1854 ("The white cedar female blossoms are open . . . New plant (Racemed andromeda) flower-budded at Cedar Swamp amid the high blueberry, panicled andromeda, clethra, etc.— upright dense racemes of reddish flower-buds on reddish terminal shoots.”); April 24, 1855 ("The sprigs of red cedar, now full of the buff-colored staminate flowers, like fruit, are very rich . . . [Its pollen] is a clear buff color, while that of the white cedar is very different, being a faint salmon.”); April 26, 1856 ("The white cedar gathered the 23d does not shed pollen in house till to-day, and I doubt if it will in swamp before to-morrow.");  April 26, 1857 ("The white cedar is apparently just out. The higher up the tree, the earlier") See also  A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Cedar Swamps

Returning, when near the Dove Rock saw a musquash . . .  His back looked reddish-brown with a black grain inmixed. See April 8, 1856 ("The muskrats are now very fat. They are reddish-brown beneath and dark—brown above."); April 22, 1856 ("An oval body, dark-brown above (black in some lights, the coarse wind hairs aft), reddish-brown beneath."); November 17, 1858 ("One sitting in the sun, as if for warmth, on the opposite shore to me looks quite reddish brown.") See also A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau, the Musquash

Hear the yellow redpoll sing on the maples below Dove Rock, —a peculiar though not very interesting strain, or jingle. See April 15, 1856 ("From amid the willows and alders along the wall there, I hear a bird sing, a-chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter, che che che che, with increasing intensity and rapidity, and the yellow redpoll hops in sight."); April 27, 1854 (""The yellow redpolls still numerous; sing chill lill lill lill lill lill. ); April 30, 1855 ("Many new birds should have arrived about the 21st. There were plenty of myrtle-birds and yellow redpolls  . . . Hear a short, rasping note, somewhat tweezer-bird like, I think from a yellow redpoll."); See also A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau, The Yellow Redpoll ( Palm) Warbler