3F1)e Summer JFlotoers. 149 



cared little for the flowers, and has left the farm- 

 lands mostly to themselves. I always hurry by 

 the farmstead ; its dilapidated out-buildings look 

 as if they might be haunted by the ghosts of 

 starved and neglected animals. 



As I stroll through the garden toward even- 

 ing, I find the brown May-fly has suddenly ap- 

 peared in legions. Every bush and tree swarms 

 with them ; while, high as one can see, the air is 

 throbbing with their undulating flight. Now 

 up, now down they go, flitting on wings of gos- 

 samer, their antennas and long tails balancing 

 them in their graceful dance of an hour. Is it 

 simply to gorge the bats and the trout, which 

 make the most of the insect-manna, that the 

 May-fly is sent ? for the naturalists do not as- 

 cribe a cause for its brief existence, in the rea- 

 son of nature. 



The first of the innumerable young broods 

 of sparrows are fledged, and have begun their 

 interminable shrieking. The foliage is so thick 

 that it is almost impossible to shoot them ; and 

 to attempt poisoning them is out of the question, 

 on account of the few remaining song-birds. 

 How wretched they render human life ! What 

 a constant burden for the ear to bear ! If they 

 would only mew like the cat-bird, or do anything 

 to vary the tedium of their incessant " Cheep ! 



