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. 
