May- Day out of Town. 107 



if I ventured too far ? So far, at least, I have not 

 solved the problem of a frog's intelligence ; and 

 the sunshine now was growing too bright to 

 warrant tarrying longer. I left the frog to his 

 Maying and went upon my own. The flowers 

 were fresher since their recent bath; the birds 

 took up the songs the shower had cut short ; every 

 wheel was again in motion, and I walked as if 

 speed was the true spirit of an outing. Such 

 spurts of aimless activity are not uncommon, but, 

 happily, they are of short duration ; sooner or 

 later we butt against a stone wall. I butted against 

 the strange spectacle of a bat's carnival ; at least, 

 I can think of no clearer description. There were 

 hundreds of them, or so it seemed, and not one 

 was bat-like and natural. Had it been March I, 

 and not May-day, I should have concluded it was 

 their first outing, and much joy had made them 

 mad ; but here they were, dancing up and down 

 and seldom circling, the point of attraction or fas- 

 cination being a tall tulip-tree that, I knew, had a 

 great hollow in its trunk. From it, it may be, 

 they had come ; but why in broad daylight ? Not 

 one made any sound save the fluttering of their 



