THE PAGEANT OF SUMMER 



sweet blues; think of the kingdom of 

 flowers which is theirs ! Heavy moths 

 burring at the edge of the copse ; green, 

 and red, and gold flies ; gnats, like smoke, 

 around the tree tops; midges so thick 

 over the brook, as if you could haul a net 

 full ; tiny leaping creatures in the grass ; 

 bronze beetles across the path; blue 

 dragonflies pondering on cool leaves of 

 water-plantain. Blue jays flitting, a mag- 

 pie drooping across from elm to elm; 

 young rooks that have escaped the hostile 

 shot blundering up into the branches; 

 missel thrushes leading their fledglings, 

 already strong on the wing, from field to 

 field. An egg here on the sward dropped 

 by a starling ; a red ladybird creeping tor- 

 toise-like, up a green fern frond. Finches 

 undulating through the air, shooting 

 themselves with closed wings, and linnets 

 happy with their young. 



Golden dandelion discs gold and 

 orange of a hue more beautiful, I think, 

 than the higher and more visible butter- 



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