834 UPLAND AND MEADOW. 



My fence-rail spider has renewed her elaborate web, 

 and, I thought, recognized me. I was duly careful not 

 to annoy her or her house in any way, simply " took a 

 look." She showed her cunning in one way, admirably. 

 The leaves of an overhanging branch were in a position 

 to make a trough, and conducted a little stream of rain- 

 drops directly to the opening of the spider's den prop- 

 er, or nest. To rid herself of this annoyance, she had 

 gathered a small leaf, and placed it in the web so as to 

 catch the water and carry it to onp side, where it did no 

 harm. The more I see of my friend, the more con- 

 vinced I am of her cunning. I use this word as it 

 would be applied to a person. It is precisely the same 

 sort of mental phenomenon. 



The spider recalled the ant-lions, and I found their 

 pits pretty much obliterated by the rain, except such as 

 were directly under the bottom rail of the fence. Were 

 these purposely placed in this sheltered spot ? I have 

 never been able to detect any design in the locating of 

 these pits, and often have found them where it was most 

 unlikely any prey would come, yet the ant-lion is a sen- 

 sible creature, in some respects, as we have seen. 



The afternoon and evening were cool, and the for- 

 mer windy. Not a bird of this morning was to be found. 

 What has become of them? Perhaps nothing in the 

 whole range of our home ornithology is more of a puz- 

 zle than the sudden appearance and disappearance of 

 birds. As I stood on the hillside this morning, it is safe 

 to say there were a hundred within a circuit of five 

 hundred yards, perhaps twice that many birds ; yet this 



