A PLAGUE OF CATERPILLARS 67 



passed through a grassy lane, and entered 

 the woods at the foot. There I seated my- 

 self as comfortably as circumstances allowed, 

 and proceeded to " wait " again. 



The place was suffering from a plague of 

 caterpillars. Everything about the house was 

 covered with them, the piazza, the front 

 of the house, the board walks, and the tree- 

 trunks. One could not step without first 

 looking to see that one did not crush a cater- 

 pillar, nor sit on a bench without clear- 

 ing it of these unpleasant creatures. There 

 in the woods they covered the trees, and 

 made a sound like the dropping of a light 

 rain. 



Ugh ! how could birds dainty, beautiful 

 creatures live amid such an army ! It was 

 soon apparent that they shared my repug- 

 nance, for there appeared a warbler or two 

 at rare intervals, two or three veeries at a dis- 

 tance and nothing else. Hours I sat there, 

 loath to give up hope, not only that first day, 

 but several succeeding ones, but never a note 

 of the long-sought bird was heard. I was 

 forced to conclude that my friend had been 

 mistaken in her identification, for other 



