coloring, and others are rapidly dropping their leaves. People observe that the forest has not remained in full color as long as usual this fall. The last twenty-four hours of rainy weather has had a great effect. A week or two earlier, rain will often heighten the coloring, but after the leaves begin to lose their life it hastens their decay.
The larches are just touched with yellow; hitherto they have been clear green. The willows and abele-trees are unchanged. The shrubbery is getting quite gay, the rose-bushes turning scarlet and yellow. The wild roses are generally vivid yellow. The sweet-briars are already bare of leaves. The snow-ball is purplish; some of the lilacs are more yellow than common, while others are withering slowly, in green, as usual. Some of the scarlet honeysuckles show quite handsome branches, red, and yellow, and purple, in the same large leaf. Saw a wild gooseberry in the woods, with leaves as brilliant as those of a maple.
A number of birds about the house; passengers on their way south, or winter birds coming in from the woods. Snow-birds, chicadees, crested titmice, and sparrows. Also observed a cross-looking butcher-bird sitting by himself; this is the bird which impales grasshoppers and insects, fastening them upon the thorns and twigs about the bushes; probably he does it from that sort of instinct which makes the dog bury a bone, and the squirrel lay up nuts; having eaten enough for the present, he puts this game of his by for another occasion. We have never heard, however, whether they return to feed upon these impaled insects. The habit has a cruel look, certainly, and no wonder the bird is rather out of favor. Mr. Wilson says the German farmers in Pennsylvania call him Neuntodter, or Ninekiller, because they believe
