AN OCTOBER DIARY. 825 



weather stays warm, the decomposing mass of bird-flesh 

 will, of itself, be food that the spider will accept, but 

 all this is conjectural. 



I, to-daj, tried placing a beetle grub on the web, but 

 the spider would not accept it. It bit it, pushed it, 

 and finally snapped the cords beneath and let it fall ; 

 then mended the web so neatly none could determine 

 where it had been broken. This spider begins to know 

 me from others, I think. 



October 15. — The river is clearly defined, even from 

 the distant ridge, as a steel-blue line, winding along the 

 foot of the steep bluff; and the day is as cold as the 

 river looks. This is the second white frost of the 

 month. Every leaf, even every pine-needle, has its 

 load of crystal to carry ; and there is not a breath of 

 wind to disturb them. Having to forego my morning 

 ramble, I took in the country from " Overlook," the 

 most commanding point of view near by. Stood there 

 for an hour and smelt the battle from afar, wishing my- 

 self in a score of visible places; and, because I was un- 

 able to go anywhere, longed to explore every distant 

 point in the horizon. But staying at home may be 

 turned to good account. There were birds in abundance 

 in the door-yard trees, and an excited Carolina wren, 

 in the stable, whistled so loudly the terrier barked him- 

 self hoarse. Something surely must be the matter, I 

 thought, and set out to investigate, when whish ! came 

 the wren athwart my nose, and a winter wren followed 

 as swiftly and as near. They evidently had had a fight, 

 and it looked very much as though the larger bird of 



