Ivi AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



their various aerial evolutions for more than an 

 hour ; and then winged their flight towards the 

 Ardennes. As I watched their risings and 

 their lowerings, home rushed on my imagination, 

 and I bethought me of the rascally cobbler who 

 desecrated the Sunday morning by robbing the 

 last raven's nest in this vicinity. A willow wren, 

 larger, and of brighter colours than our own, 

 sang sweetly, although the season was far ad- 

 vanced ; and the black redstart was for ever 

 flitting from stone to stone on the ruined walls 

 of the hotel, which had been consumed by fire 

 during the preceding year. 



The sun had now descended into the southern 

 world ; whilst the winds of autumn drove the 

 falling leaves before them, and showed us that 

 it was time to leave the cloudy atmosphere of 

 Rhenish Prussia. The Rhine too, had but few 

 of its summer beauties left, although we found 

 at Strasburg a warmer sun than what we had 

 expected. Indeed, it was here that old Boreas 

 gave up the pursuit ; for, had it not been that 

 we encountered a keen and cutting wind as we 

 approached the summit of the Splugen, we 

 should have enjoyed, all the way from Stras- 

 burg, the genial warmth of a mild and sunny' 

 autumn. 



