AUTUMN TIDES 



vocal part of it is the fact that it is a kind 

 of duet. In other words, by some ventrilo- 

 quial tricks, he appears to accompany him- 

 self, as if his voice split up, a part forming 

 a low guttural sound, and a part a shrill 

 nasal sound. 



The distant bark of the more wary gray 

 squirrel may be heard about the same time. 

 There is a teasing and ironical tone in it 

 also, but the gray squirrel is not the Puck 

 the red is. 



Insects also go into winter-quarters by 

 or before this time ; the bumblebee, hornet, 

 and wasp. But here only royalty escapes : 

 the queen-mother alone foresees the night 

 of winter coming and the morning of spring 

 beyond. The rest of the tribe try gypsying 

 for a while, but perish in the first frosts. 

 The present October I surprised the queen 

 of the yellow-jackets in the woods looking 

 out a suitable retreat. The royal dame 

 was house-hunting, and, on being disturbed 

 by my inquisitive poking among the leaves, 

 she got up and flew away with a slow, deep 

 hum. Her body was unusually distended, 

 whether with fat or eggs I am unable to 

 say. In September I took down the nest 

 of the black hornet and found several large 

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