AN OCTOBER DIARY. 327 



the wild woods of Pennsylvania. They flew at too 

 great an elevation to enable me to determine anything 

 more definite than that they were hawks or buzzards ; 

 but their passing presence recalled an October migra- 

 tion of hawks such as I have never since, nor had I ever 

 before, witnessed. 



My attention was called to these migrating hawks 

 (there were three or four different species of them) at 

 about nine o'clock in the morning, and for an hour I 

 watched their progress. I subsequently learned that 

 they had been seen as early as sunrise, and for five hours 

 later than when I saw them last ; so they were, at least, 

 numerous enough to require nine hours to pass a given 

 point. How much longer than this they continued on 

 their westward course, the growing darkness prevented 

 our determining. These hawks were noticeable not only 

 for their numbers, but the manner of their flight. While 

 moving in a westerly direction, they by no means fol- 

 lowed a direct course, but described large circles, or 

 ellipses, each intersecting the previous one. This, of 

 course, made their onward progress slow. A no less 

 marked feature was their constant screaming. Every 

 bird seemed angry at all his fellows, and scolded each in 

 turn, as it came near. On the other hand, there was no 

 actual quarrelling. 



The weather was sufficiently warm to-day to bring 

 out a few flies, and some of them were attracted to the 

 kinglet on the spider's web, that had so far decomposed 

 as to throw off a decided odor. The spider sat near the 

 entrance of her den, not at all concealed, and darted 



