28 December 1857 – 31 December 1857

P. M. — Surveying Goose Pond. After some rain yesterday and in the night, there was a little more snow, and the ground is still covered. I am surprised to find Walden still closed since Sun- day night, notwithstanding the warm weather since it skimmed over, and that Goose Pond bears, though covered with slosh; but ice under water is slow to thaw. It does not break up so soon as you would expect. Walking over it, I thought that I saw an old glove on the ice or slosh, but, approaching, found it to be a bull- frog, flat on its belly with its legs stretched out. ‘Touch- ing it, I found it to be alive, though it could only par- tially open its eyes, and it hung motionless and flimsy like a rag in my hands. It was evidently nearly chilled to death and could not jump, though there was then no freezing. I looked round a good while and finally found a hole to put it into, squeezing it through. Per- haps in such a warm rain the surface water becomes warmer than at the bottom, and so tempts the frogs up on to the ice through a hole. This one was wholly unscathed by any animal, but would surely have frozen stiff in the night.