321 



XXIII. 



OCTOBER 16th. 



Indian Summer. Peculiar Weather Supposed Causes. Lepidoptera. 

 Freezing of the River. Winter Wren. Wasps. Nest of Leaf-cutting 

 Bee. Moths. Snake. Insects on fallen Leaves. Pearlfly. Grakles. 

 Ignorance of Natural History hurtful to the Farmer. Anecdote. 

 Crossbills. Day-flies. Caddis-flies. Torpidity. Blue Bird. Frozen 

 Apples. Effect of Frost in loosening Leaves. Beech Nuts. Fruit of 

 the Maple Of the Birch Ash Basswood. 



CHARLES. The weather, for a few days past, has been 

 delightful, and more like summer than autumn : if it were 

 not for the nakedness of the leafless trees, we might easily 

 fancy ourselves removed a month or two back in the ca- 

 lendar. 



FATHER. Have you not noticed, since this warm wea- 

 ther commenced, a peculiar haze around the horizon, a misti- 

 ness in the atmosphere, which is not common in summer ? 

 there is an indistinctness about distant objects which, in or- 

 dinary weather, are clearly seen ; the sun is " shorn of his 

 beams," and the air appears filled with a light thin smoke. 

 This characterises the " Indian summer," a very remarkable 

 phenomenon, and peculiar, I believe, to North America. It 

 never appears till after the summer has yielded to cold wea- 

 ther, and generally follows a series of wintry days, and often 

 pretty severe frosts. It is hailed with pleasure when it 

 comes, as a slight and brief relaxation from the horrors of 



p 5 



