i8o IN THE GREEN LEAF 



greys to the most light and pearly. This scale 

 of colouring is etched up by bits of bright 

 colour, formed by the patches of leaves that 

 still hang here and there upon the twigs, com- 

 bined with the brightly -tinted wild fruits and 

 berries. Heavy fogs hang about, drenching 

 the woodlands, and these end, if there is not 

 air enough to lift them, in drizzling rain. Then 

 suddenly there is a change : all is clear and 

 bright once more, to finish with a sharp frost 

 when the night falls. See what this has done 

 in the fields. With the exception of the 

 beeches, there is one continual fall of leaves ; in 

 fact, they will be down in the course of the day. 

 Although there is not a breath of air stirring, 

 even the beech-trees are very nearly bare in 

 places where the frost has nipped keenly. 



The hedgehog, finding that the crimson 

 clusters of the white-leaf berries good to eat, 

 sweet and mealy are no longer to be found, 

 travel and root as he may, has decided to curl 

 up for the season ; but even in his own domain 

 the little hedge-pig is not quite secure. He 

 has his own four-footed enemies. 



Humming, whistling, and cracking through 

 the woods and over the fields comes the keen 

 north wind, clearing off all mists, and drying 



