SEPTEMBER. 151 



is almost upon the captor. In a flash the peewit is 

 up and away ; but the gull can fly too, and is barely 

 a yard behind. If it was a matter of catching the 

 peewit, the gull might find his labour vain ; for no 

 bird that flies appears master of quicker turns and 

 dodges than the peewit. But he cannot eat the worm 

 while he is ducking and twisting just a yard or so in 

 front of the gull, and the latter has no idea of relin- 

 quishing the chase. So the peewit very soon drops 

 the worm, less, perhaps, as an act of surrender than 

 for the purpose of lightening ship ; but the result is 

 the same. The gull drops to earth after the worm, 

 and promptly eats it. Then he resumes his statuesque 

 attitude of observation of the peewits round him. 



SUMMER IN SEPTEMBER. 



September 25. Pleasures seem best when we are 

 about to lose them ; and every smoker will tell you 

 that the " last pipe " at bedtime has a fragrance all 

 its own. So the very last smiles of summer in Sep- 

 tember seem sweeter than all that have gone before ; 

 and when summer has been chary of her smiles, we 

 value her passing graciousness all the more. We 

 had cold winds when the roar of bees in the sweet- 

 scented limes should have made music in lazy ears ; 

 and now the roar of many insects that rise as you 

 pass the sunny clumps of Michaelmas daisies sounds 

 as though summer wished at the last to make amends 

 for her earlier coyness. Only a few of the insects 

 are honey-bees, but the rest are worth watch- 

 ing bluebottles, greenbottles, blackbottles, and 



