8 
NATURE NOTES. 
AUTUMN LEAVES IN 1895. 
N some respects this autumn has been a remarkable 
one in our part of the country, owing chiefly to the 
abnormal growth of certain plants and the absence of 
vivid colouring in some of the autumn leaves. 
The severity of frost we experienced in the early spring 
nearly killed my plants of Gunnera scahva, so, in order to fill up 
vacant spaces in the bed, about a dozen young hemp-seedlings 
were inserted in May last. 
These developed into grand specimens, measuring fully 
thirteen feet in height, with strong woody stems w’hich in due 
time were crowned with masses of well ripened seed. A very 
pretty scene could always be witnessed by standing still for a 
few moments near this bed. Crowds of chaffinches, blue tits, 
coletits, and greater tits hung upon every plant, shelling out the 
hemp-seeds, twittering, quarrelling, flitting backwards and for- 
wards, evidently enjoying “a real good time” whilst the 
provender lasted. 
The Jerusalem artichoke was another plant which responded 
to the unusual amount of sunshine we were favoured with during 
this past summer. It flowered freely, and attained the height of 
thirteen or fourteen feet. A pomegranate growing against my 
house wall presented us with some brilliant scarlet flowers, and 
its leafage faded away into lovely tints of brown and red. 
Owing, I imagine, to the remarkable alternations of temperature 
we have had during the autumn months, and ten degrees of 
frost coming suddenly in the last week of October, I have 
observed that many trees have dropped their leaves whilst they 
were perfectly green. This has been the case with individual 
trees of horse-chestnut, mountain ash, maple and sycamore, 
which are usually vivid yellow or orange. 
The Salisburia leaves are generally of the brightest gold colour 
when they fall from the tree, but they have no warm colouring 
this year, and only form a purplish green carpet beneath the 
tree. The Catalpa is also colourless, but the tulip tree, instead 
of being golden yellow as usual, has put on an additional orange 
red on the outer branches. Those who are learned on the 
subject will no doubt be able to explain to what atmospheric 
causes these variations are due. 
Such observations as these greatly enliven our daily walks, 
and by the comparison of our personal notes with those taken 
by observers residing in other parts of England, we may arrive 
at some of the mysterious laws which govern the colouration of 
leaves. 
Great Stanmore, Middlesex. 
Eliza Brightwen. 
