NOVEMBER DAYS 
25 
into the white and fluffy seeds. Of course, every¬ 
one knew it after Darwin had recorded his obser¬ 
vations. But no one had really seen it before. 
As to the leaves — well, the common bramble 
shows the bronze green of its leaves to better 
advantage now than at any time during the sum¬ 
mer. The same is true of the cat-brier or carrion- 
flower (Smilax herbacea), the plant which has so 
offensive an odor in the flowering season, but makes 
up for it by its graceful green vines and leaves the 
rest of the season until well along into November. 
The oaks have shed many of their leaves by the 
end of the first week in November, though some 
linger much longer. The white willow fails about 
the same time. 
Through the woodlands which slope gently 
upward toward the crest of the ridge there is a 
thick carpet of the fallen leaves and among these 
another nature lover, with an eye for his table, is 
poking with a stick. He has been out for an hour 
and he carries a peach basket which he has almost 
filled with mushrooms (Armillaria mellea ). “You 
can hardly make a mistake at this time of the year,” 
he says as he goes down on one knee and cuts off a 
fine bunch with the table-knife which he carries. 
“See this growth like a cobweb from the stem to 
the gills? When you see that you may put the 
mushroom in your basket and take it home for your 
dinner. Be sure to gather those that are fresh and 
