66 BOULDER REVERIES. 



deposited to die and break their hold upon the 

 parent tree ? Is it some subtle poison which the 

 insect secretes in them during oviposition, or is 

 it the mere weakening of the fibers by the en- 

 tering ovipositor? Most likely the former, for 

 the wood seems brittle, as though dead for a 

 long time, whereas, less than a month ago, the 

 twigs and leaves were in the full power of their 

 summer's growth. 



The living locusts, casting their old suits, ap- 

 pear in the new which soon dry and show the 

 perfect stage the stage when bright livery and 

 music lead on and up to that union which per- 

 petuates the race. The love calls, loud, clamor- 

 ous, competitive, are heard on every side. Each 

 bush bears several pairs of ardent wooing lovers. 



Three days of the past week I spent with the 

 gold hunters and diamond seekers of Brown 

 and Morgan counties. There I, too, panned 

 gold from amidst the pebbles and sands where it 

 has lain for centuries. I proved its presence in 

 spots where I have long hesitated to believe it 

 present. I felt, for the time being, that en- 

 thusiasm, that expectation, which keeps gray 



