174 THE EULOGY OF RICHARD JEFFERIES. 



from two or three note-books. The writing is 

 cramped, and in parts very difficult to make out. 



" Oct. 16, 1878. Wasp and very large blue-fly struggling, 

 wrestling on leaf. In a few seconds wasp got the mastery, 

 brought his tail round, and stung twice or thrice ; then bit 

 off the fly's proboscis, then the legs, then bit behind the 

 head, then snipped off the wings, then fell off leaf, but flew 

 with burden to the next, rolled the fly round, and literally 

 devoured its intestines. Dropped off the leaf in its eager 

 haste, got on third leaf, and continued till nothing was left 

 but a small part of the body the head had been snipped 

 off before. This was one of those large black flies a little 

 blue underneath not like meat flies, but bigger and squarer, 

 that go to the ivy. Ivy in bloom close by, where, doubt- 

 less, the robber found his prey and seized it. 



" While the other leaves fall, the thick foliage of the fir 

 supports the leaves that have been wafted to it, so that the 

 fir's branches are thickly sprinkled with other leaves." 



" Surrey, Oct. 27. Red-wings numerous, and good many 

 fieldfares. 



" Ivy, brown reddish leaves, and pale-green ribs." 



" Oct. 29. Saw hawk perched on telegraph line out of 

 railway-carriage window. Train passed by within ten yards ; 

 hawk did not move. 



" Street mist, London, not fog, but on clear day comes up 

 about two-thirds the height of the houses." 



" Nov. 3. The horse-chestnut buds at end of boughs; 

 tree quite bare of leaves ; all sticky, colour of deep varnish, 

 strongly adhesive. These showed on this tree very fully. 



" Golden-crested wren, pair together Nov. 3 ; ' cheep- 

 cheep ' as they slipped about maple bush, and along and up 

 oak bough ; motions like the tree-climber up a bough ; the 

 crest triangular, point towards beak, spot of yellow on wing. 



" Still day ; the earth holds its breath." 



