SEEING THEXGS IX AUTUMN 



155 



But everything- changes, even in China. 

 r^Iany Chinamen to-day j^refer a juicy 

 beefsteak to the finest plate of bird nest 

 soup. I do not blame them, after having 



A REMARKABLE -'HEAD OX" 

 STUDY. 



PHOTUGRAPHIC 



Ixjth seen an uncooked bird nest and 

 tasted the soup. The famotis edible bird 

 nest is formed of the regurgitations 

 and excrements of a rock swallow, and 

 is considered one of the greatest of Chi- 

 nese delicacies. The isoirp tastes like 

 musty dishwater. The Chinese are om- 

 nivorotis in the ftillest sense ; aquatic 

 beetles, owls. cats. dogs, rats, snakes. 

 toads mice, are all dainty dishes for a 

 Chinese palate. 



I have assisted at sonie great Chinese 

 dinners, some of one htmdred and fifty 

 courses, beginning with bird nest soup, 

 shark fins, sea cucumbers (Holothurea), 

 seaweeds, eggs a hundred years old. 

 roasted dog, dried rats, fried ice, boiled 

 water beetles, etc., etc. — that is. I have 

 been present, bttt taste, appearance and 

 odor prevnting me from reallv eating. 



Fried ice? Yes, fried ice is absolute- 



ly correct. Pieces of flavored ice are 

 covered with batter and cpiickly dipped 

 in boiling lard. The batter, fried crisp, 

 encloses a piece of ice. The dish is 

 served with lightning-like rapidity 

 from the frying pan to table. 



Seeing Things in Autumn. 



BY .MAY L. JOIIXSOX, RICIIAIOXD HILL, 

 XEW YORK. 



Every lover of nature can find inter- 

 esting things in the springtime, for 

 then all the outdoor world is waking 

 up and rising into life with a promise 

 of glorious beauty to come ; the birds 

 are returning; Ave ourselves feel a new 

 zest in living, it seems to be in the 

 air. But hoAv about the autumn? Each 

 -eason has its attractions for the true 

 nature lover, although some of our 

 pessimistic friends who are poetically- 

 inclined may quote Bryant's : 



"The melancholy days are come, the 



saddest of the j-ear. 

 Of wailing winds and naked woods, and 

 meadows brown and sear." 



An yet even the withered leaves may- 

 be a source of enjoyment, as I discov- 

 crd a short time ago, as I sat in the 

 dusk and Avatched the wind playing 

 pranks Avith the dead leaves that in the 

 twilight looked like little broAvn mice. 

 One moment they A\^ere Avhirling in a 

 circle as though playing some childish 

 game, then the A\and changed and 

 away they Acaa- one after the other 

 arotmd the corner of the house, playing 

 a game of folloAv the leader. A few 

 moments later the Avind A'eered and 

 caught them from every direction and 

 huddled them in a group. One could 

 almost imagine that they Avere aliA^e, 

 and bobbing their heads together like 

 a little company of fairies congregated 

 like small boys to talk over some all- 

 important secret, or planning Avhat 

 mischief to do next as they danced and 

 fluttered ; but the restless Avind scat- 

 tered them eA'en before their plans 

 could be laid and aAvay the little broAA^n 

 felloAvs fleA\% each to his OAvn important 

 task. To a person of the aA-erage 

 amotmt of imagination it seemed hard 

 to belieA'e that they Avere inanimate. 

 If our friends Avotild enjoy this moA-ing 

 jMcture experience in the tAvilight of 

 a Avindy autumn evening before the 

 leaA-es are gone. I am sure they would 

 appreciate literally "The Fun of v^eeing 

 'Jliinefs." 



