The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-10-24
NO. 40.
October.

The season that painters revel in has
come, the hour of the year when Au-
tumn's mellow tints light up the land
scapes in the most picturesque attire
when the trees of the forest put on their
last grandeur bursting forth into all their
warmest colors Indeed, so beautiful
Just now are the trees we almost forget
that the year is waning fast. What
though the lark but rarely now "at
Heavens gate sings"-what if Phebus be
late in rising, and the subdued bright
ness of his shining be also somewhat
dlmmed by mistiness in the air-what
care we though the mornings and even
lngs are becoming chilly-when forests,
4 parks, and thickets are lit up with golden
glory And though there be at times a
little haziness in the atmosphere, it is a
haziness that is as yet unmixed with fog
and cloud; it is a haziness born of inef-
liable calms, that are all the sweeter after
the slight disturbances in the atmosphere
when the sun-god took his flaming
chariot across the line.
The few frosty nights that succeed the
equinoctial spasm have left behind them
nothing that savors of winter, and Ma
ture is smiling again in her gentlest mood.
But those few frosty nights-such as all
most periodically pay us transient visit
in the first week of October-though
they may not bequeath to us anything
that is really wintry, have nevertheless
left traces behind them and very beau
tliul traces they are-to wit, the autumn
foliage. The sensitive leaves, under
pressure of those cold nights, were utter
ly unable to preserve their summer ver-
dure yet have they, in sinking from
the chill hand that was laid upon them,
assumed garb more radiant than be-
fore.
The grand old wood in that valley
down there beneath whose shade muir
muring stream loses itself in many a
curve, look very beautiful in the months
Just sped, but not more beautiful was it
then than now-nay, it was not so fair.
what can surpass the lovliness of yon
shimmering mass of yellow and russell
and dusky red, as the soft autumn sun
beams play upon 1.-THE fleecy clouds
which now and then pass under the
great orb, serving only to render more
beautiful by contrast the varying hues
In the bird-world the season is now
quite over lmpelled by resistless i'm
pulse, our summer birds of passage are
iast leaving us for warmer shores. Some
indeed, left us long ago, before the har-
vest was over. Others waited to see
thelr leaty haunts touched by autumn's
magic wand, and then, guided by unerr-
ing instinct winged their way through
llllmltable space to lands where the bird
Is OF gayer plumage. Most, however, of
our summer birds of passage wait until
October's nut-brown month ere they
take their long aerial flight. The swal-
lows, who towards the close of last
month assembled at their several places
OF rendezvous, are now off
The thickets and hedges must look
very tempting to the dauntless little
travellers; but the autumn tints are
deepening fast, and they must not tarry.
but they are gone now, as are nearly all
the birds that dread our long, cold win
tiers. Heaven speed them, little wander
ers on their long and perilous way
through the surges of the boundless
air" 2nd grant them safe return in the
sweet spring-time But we must not
forget that, while great flocks of our
summer birds are winging their way to
sub-tropical lands, others, guided by the
same unerring instinct, are approaching
our shores from the icy North, driven
hither by the intense cold of the winter
that has set in already in their far north
ern home.
The farms, dotted as they are over all
the country, seem naturally involved in
a contemplation of the months. In Oc-
tober, however, there is not much on the
1arms to interest us. The orchards are
delivering up the last of the harvests,
winter wheat is being sown, and once
the seed is in the ground, the fields have
Il rather dreary aspect. They seem
quite deserted, but for an occasional
plowman trudging slowly up and down
the weary lengths of Il cOrn-stubble. But
the plowman, even in October, sees
of life. A reddish-brown.
sharp-nosed little animal, suddenly
dashes past his team of sober-looking
horses, whom it does not require much
urging to StOD then rnnns tbn r,,sb r