JANUARY. 43 



is also a curious case of turning the tables on one's enemies 

 with a vengeance, for spiders are always associated with 

 our ideas of cool calculating blood-thirstiness, and to 

 have them hunted and eaten in this deliberate way by 

 other insects seems to be a just judgment on them. 

 The spiders have an instinctive dread of these wasps. Even 

 large trap-door spiders, big and strong enough to smash 

 their opponents with one blow of their powerful falces, 

 seem to throw up the sponge as it were at the first sight of 

 a wasp. They become weak-kneed, and limp, and run in 

 a helpless kind of way, till their active black enemy 

 pounces on them and quickly gives them their first, which 

 is also their finishing, stroke. 



III. 



There is nothing more delightful than climbing on the 

 mountains when the flowers are in bloom, aye, even when 

 they are not, and getting right away up into the open, 

 where the air seems to be freer and the world becomes so 

 much larger to the view. It is infinitely better than 

 pursuing a white ball on the breezy downs, invigorating 

 as that pastime undoubtedly is. Those who live on the 

 lower levels and have never tasted the joys of a walk 

 on a mountain side have missed one of the true pleasures 

 of life the kind of pleasure that brings no pain, but 

 only such fatigue as causes deeper sleep and stronger 

 pulses of health. 



This is the time of year to climb the hills and see the 

 beauties of nature on the mountain tops. Those who only 

 know the native vegetation at sea level have little idea of 

 the wealth of flowers which Ls met with -at high elevations 

 in this country. At a height of from 4000 feet to 6000 feet 

 there is a new flora, of which the flowers are certainly 

 nearly all yellow or white, or faintly tinged with blue, bvit 

 very beautiful individually and in mass, and often very 

 fragrant. 



But even about our own romantic town, though it is only 

 possible to reach a height of a little over 2000 feet, the 

 climb is well worth" the effort and brings its own reward. 



