The Spider and the Fly. 281 



spring ) the fieldfares and redwings were passing 

 over swiftly in small parties or, rather, in a long 

 flock scattered by the march towards the North 

 Sea and their summer home in Norway. The winter 

 birds, and the distinctly spring and summer birds, 

 as it were, crossed each other and were visible to- 

 gether, their times of arrival and departure over- 

 lapping. 



As the sap rises in plants and trees, so a new life 

 seems to flow through the veins of bird and animal. 

 The flood-tide of life rises to its height, and after re- 

 maining there some time, gradually ebbs. Early in 

 August the leaves of the limes begin to fade, and a 

 few shortly afterwards fall : the silver birch had spots 

 of a pale lemon among its foliage this year on August 

 13. The brake fern, soon after it has attained its 

 full growth, begins to turn yellow in places. There 

 is a silence in the hedges and copses, and an appar- 

 ent absence of birds. But about Michaelmas ( be- 

 tween the new and old style) there is a marked 

 change. It is not that any thing particular happens 

 upon any precise day, but it is a date around which, 

 just before and after, events seem to group them- 

 selves. 



Towards the latter part of September the geo- 

 metrical spiders become conspicuous, spinning their 

 webs on every bush. Some of these attain an enor- 

 mous size, and, being so large, it is easier to watch 

 their mode of procedure. When a fly becomes en- 

 tangled, the spider seizes it by the poll, at the back 

 of the head, and holds it for a short time till it dies. 

 Then he rapidly puts a small quantity of web round 

 it, and next carries it to the centre of the web. 



