September 



roamed aimlessly about, showing none of that 

 knowledge of the land which distinguishes the 

 flight, however erratic, of the local residents as they 

 jerk themselves along from one favourite feeding- 

 ground to another. The willow-wren, whose early 

 morning singing lasted from the 8th August until 

 well on in September, when it was the only com- 

 panion in song of the returned robin, vanished with 

 his congener the wood-wren before the frost, and 

 the month closed with the robin as the only true 

 songster then vocal. 



Following upon the boisterous equinoctial winds, 

 there set in a reaction from the north-east. The 

 red and yellow leaves danced to death with a 

 semblance of merriment before the wild sou'-wester, 

 itself but short-lived in its rollicking violence ; but 

 the north-east plied its office with a more leisurely 

 purpose, having as long a tenure of life before it as 

 winter itself; and where it cut, it cut like a scythe- 

 blade, and the leaf fell straight to earth, and lay as 

 it fell. 



The approach of winter draws closer the natural 

 bonds uniting man and his fellow-creatures ; and 

 besides the brisk " cheep I " and comfortable " chow, 

 chow ! " with which the house-sparrows continued 

 to greet the returning sun, one awakened in the 

 grey morning to the " tetera-tet-tet I " of the robin 

 and the "ping-ping ! " of the blue-tits beneath the 

 window, already lodging their claim to protection 

 with those who should be, and often are, their best 



29 



