304 



XXI. 



SEPTEMBER 20th. 



Autumnal Frosts. Threshing Buckwheat in the Field. Grinding. 

 Butterflies. Humming-bird. Fading of the Leaves of Trees. Brown 

 Ash. Other Trees. Seeds of White Ash. Crimson Beetle. Beetles 

 in Earth. Warblers. Finches. Rough Caterpillars of Geometrce 

 of Buff-leopard Moth of a large Sphinx handsome one from Wil- 

 low very beautiful one of Saturnia Polyphemus. Summer Duck. 

 Hooded Merganser. Anecdote of a Brood of Black Ducks. 

 Waterfowl. Migration of Aquatic Birds. Bryant's Lines to a Wa- 

 terfowl. 



FATHER. The autumnal frosts have now cut off the 

 increase of many of our plants. The beans and potatoes are 

 turned black, the leaves and stalks looking as if they had 

 been plunged into boiling water ; that part of the buckwheat, 

 which is not yet cut, is of a rusty brown colour ; pompions 

 and squashes, and many garden plants and flowers, are de- 

 stroyed : the wheat and oats were happily ripe before the 

 frost, so as to be beyond the reach of injury. 



CHARLES. What are those men about in yonder field ? 



F. They are threshing buckwheat on the ground : we 

 have some slovenly customs, and this is one of them. When 

 this plant is ripe, the grains are so tenderly attached to the 

 branches, as to be shaken off by a very slight shock ; espe- 

 cially in the heat of the day, when the stems are brittle from 

 dryness. On that account we usually mow this plant early 

 in the morning, ceasing as soon as the dew is evaporated. 

 Notwithstanding this precaution, a great quantity of grain is 



