292 Field and Forest Rambles. 



Is it on its way to the sea after spawning ? (26th) All birds 

 of passage assembling. Leaves of maple and other deciduous 

 foliage rapidly changing colour, but no further appearance of 

 decay in plants." 



"September 1st. — Passenger pigeon breeding. Thrushes 

 feeding exclusively on swamp berries and fruits. (14^.) Hum- 

 ming-bird still lingers, although the temperature at night 

 falls often to 35 . Deciduous-leaved trees in their full autumn 

 attire. Majority of the soft-billed birds have fled ; crickets 

 and grasshoppers very numerous and noisy in pastures. {20th.) 

 Nearly all the migratory summer birds have fled. First frost 

 at night, killing suddenly all exotics in the open ; leaves of 

 melons, squash, pumkins, cucumbers, etc., quite black and 

 dead. Wilson's snipe coming in from the north in grand 

 condition. Migratory thrushes moulting. The brave little 

 summer or yellow warbler, which arrived first, is now the last 

 to depart." 



"October ^th. — Splendid autumn weather; more enjoyable 

 than any of the months of summer, as there are no insects 

 to annoy, and the heat is subdued. Many of the hard-wood 

 trees have now put on their gorgeous autumnal attires, always 

 most varied and beautiful in saplings. I notice that the first 

 leaves to open out in spring are the first to change colour in the 

 fall ; and these are usually near the extremities of the lower 

 branches, and thus fully exposed to the sunlight ; hence, 

 maples in the middle of the forests do not change colour so 

 soon as trees on the skirts or in the open. As to the change in 

 the coloration of the leaf, as displayed in the Canadian forest, 

 it may, I think, receive the deep tinge of colouring from a 

 sudden check to the circulation through cold drying up the 

 sap, inasmuch as I have always found that as soon as the 

 change begins to appear, then the connection of the leaf-stalk 

 with the branch is so slender that there is no difficulty in 

 separating the two ; whereas in the healthy leaf this is accom- 

 plished with difficulty. And no doubt the low temperature, 



