October. 
82 
greens still retain the summer shades of green. ’Tis 
evening. A sudden breeze springs up. It gradually 
increases in intensity towards night-fall, when it blows 
a full gale. The wind whistles among the trees, and 
the boughs are rudely shaken. The fallen leaves are 
caught up and whirled in eddying circles on the dry 
ground. At last the wind abates, and then comes a 
heavy fall of rain. The trees, in one night, are robbed 
of nearly all their golden tints, and thus announce the 
speedy return of Winter. 
October was the eighth month of the ancient Roman 
Calendar-—hence its name. Our Saxon ancestors styled 
it Wyn-monat, or Wein-monat, i.e., Wine Month. The 
ancient Germans called it Winter-fylletli, from the ap¬ 
proach of Winter with the full moon of the month. 
Although, owing to the decay of nature, we cannot 
but have a sort of melancholy feeling about this month, 
nevertheless, we have occasionally in it some of the 
finest and most bracing weather of the year. There is 
often frost in the morning and evening, and warm sun¬ 
shine in mid-day, accompanied by an exhilarating 
breeze ; and it is considered the very best time of the 
year to enjoy “a sniff of the briny” at the sea-side. 
