Project Gutenberg 2015-12-08 Public domain in the USA. 334 Sharp, Dallas Lore 1870 1929 08027140 The Lay of the Land The muskrats are building -- Christmas in the woods -- A cure for winter -- The nature-student -- Chickadee -- The missing tooth -- The sign of the shad-bush -- The nature movement -- June -- A broken feather -- High noon -- The palace in the pig-pen -- An account with nature -- The buzzard of the Bear Swamp -- The lay of the land. E-text prepared by Giovanni Fini, Bryan Ness, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (https://archive.org/details/americana) "The Lay of the Land" by Dallas Lore Sharp is a nature-themed essay collection written in the early 20th century. The work delves into the intricate relationships between humans and the natural world, exploring how animals, such as muskrats and chickadees, prepare for the changing seasons. Through vivid descriptions and personal reflections, Sharp emphasizes the importance of nature in shaping human experiences and the comforting rhythms of rural life. The opening portion of "The Lay of the Land" introduces readers to the preparations of muskrats for winter as they build their sturdy homes in a meadow. Sharp describes the harshness of a November night and the relentless chill of the wind, contrasting this with the industrious nature of the muskrats, who work together to construct a warm lodge. This rich depiction serves as a metaphor for foresight and resilience in nature, highlighting the interconnectedness of all living things as they face the challenges of winter. The author reflects on the comforting presence of these creatures, finding warmth and solace in sharing space with them in the wild. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Natural history -- Outdoor books QH Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Nature/Gardening/Animals 305517 2025-07-20T10:23:23.508401 text/html 288154 2024-10-22T23:33:26 text/html 493908 2025-07-20T10:23:28.913285 application/epub+zip 513637 2025-07-20T10:23:24.638354 application/epub+zip 178253 2025-07-20T10:23:24.134330 application/epub+zip 595130 2025-07-20T10:23:32.283272 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 556072 2025-07-20T10:23:28.396289 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 223710 2022-09-23T04:05:16.892124 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 269302 2025-07-20T10:23:23.011317 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 249358 2024-10-22T23:33:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17093 2025-07-20T10:23:32.419264 application/rdf+xml 15882 2025-07-20T10:23:24.216318 image/jpeg 2649 2025-07-20T10:23:24.174320 image/jpeg 461892 2025-07-20T10:23:23.569321 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia