TRAPPING GNOMES . 
135 
What means this decking of the earth in au¬ 
tumn with scarlet and purple, crimson and gold, 
russet and orange? The flowers of the spring¬ 
time are full of joyous color, in order that the 
wandering bee and butterfly may aid in their 
fertilization. The bird gleams with color as 
the glow-worm gleams with fire, that his mate 
may not forget him in the mazes of the life- 
dance. The autumn is the season of ripening, 
of the gathering of harvests, of the decay of the 
earthly, and the creation of that which shall 
endure. Are these colors only the emblems of 
death, the garlands upon the pall, or are they 
the signals which Nature hangs on high to call 
her forces into ranks for the battle against ex¬ 
tinction and in favor of persistent life? Surely 
the berry which by its brilliancy of color calls 
the bird to it, in order that it may be eaten and 
its seeds carried afar, is as wise as the flower 
which by its tints and perfume attracts the bee 
and secures fertilization. Perhaps the tree 
which blazes with autumn color is avoided by 
insects whose instinct teaches them to shun colors 
in contrast to their own. 
Just beyond the sumacs is the stump of a pre¬ 
historic pine. It has lasted generations since 
its towering pillar fell and sank year by year 
deeper into the soil. Its hard gray walls look 
as though they might endure half a century 
