ADAPTATIONS IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS 59 



near the top of the giant mullein stems, which have taken on a 

 brownish hue, are just a few of the yellow blossoms. As I 

 wander through the wet meadow, I find in various stages of 

 blossoming the daisy and common fleabane, the spotted jewel 

 weed near the woods, scattered vervain, knotweed, evening 

 primrose, self-heal, Joe-pye-weed, pearly everlasting, and pasture 

 thistles, showing their season of blossoming. In my previous 

 rambles I have noted the progressive steps of growth, maturity, 

 and senescence through the seasons, the maximum number of 

 flowers seeming to appear and to be timed to correspond to 

 the presence of the greatest number of insects upon which the 

 flowers are dependent for fertilization. At this time among 

 the thickets of ferns, the matured katydids, the meadow grass- 

 hoppers, and the crickets are answering each other from every 

 quarter with their day calls; while there is an appreciable 

 increase everywhere in mature grasshoppers and locusts. 

 Among the open groves of trees new cicada songsters are 

 heard, adding more and more to our procession of maturing life. 

 Little by little the barn swallows are flocking together, 

 getting in readiness for the pending vital migration. The 

 clump of wild rose bushes in the pasture, which furnished so 

 much interest, of late has lost its little nestling song sparrows. 

 They have reached the proper age and dignified size to leave 

 the nest and are being fed by the parents in the willows. The 

 flight into the bushes shows the muscular power of their ^vnngs 

 to be excellently developed, and the family of four are accumu- 

 lating strength for the advent of migration, and thus we view 

 the fast changing scenes. 



