132 
FLOCKING ALREADY ! 
with rapid hesitancy* That may be why the flock 
is so crowded and compact, with scarcely room for 
uninterrupted flight* In this eager flocking the 
peculiarly deliberate antics of the solitary bird in 
the spring marsh are entirely lost* 
Away they go out of sight behind the low treetops, 
but their passing has brought vividly to mind the 
ceaseless transformations of animated nature. We 
may long for a period of repose or for the permanence 
of the richness of summer, but the same inexorable 
law of change, of death and resurrection, is relentlessly 
unfolded* The unexpected flocking of the birds is 
but one of many evidences of transition* High up on 
a sturdy Elm the foliage on a solitary branch is taking 
on a yellow tint* Here and there a Maple is touching 
the dainty tips of its leaves with colour* ‘The Golden- 
rod is unfolding its rich and brilliant plumes* The 
richest of the Purple Asters are glowing through the 
interlaced green* And in the air there is that vague, 
chill feeling of loss that seems an anticipation of the 
inevitable decline of all that fills the season with joy 
and satisfaction* 
