The sun., 1901-07-28

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Rset-Naturalist.


Psst-Nasafalist.
Perfect midsummer days come now 10
the northern suburbs. With cool mornings.
hot Moons. aud evenings tempered by the
characteristic southv est breeze Of this region.
wakeued BY the morning chant Of the wood
thrush or the scoldins Of the squirrel. the
suburbanite looks out Of his window TO nnd
the pomp Of the perfect midsummer day
well begun. The sun. more than an hour
high. Is slanting long dim shadows across
the pastures and burrowing deep into the
woodland with keen lateral shafts OF light.
Delcously cool winds gently disturb the
foliage. The sensitive poplars. ahutter be-
meath the touch OF the breeze In all their
ten thousand leaves, irresistibly suggest
to the lover OF the ocean tho dance OF waves
on lightly troubled summer ssas.
All the lively hustle OF the summer morn
has begun. Somewhere on the edge OF a
distant bayfield, quail Is piping Bob White
The little song sparrow Is whistling over
and over again the sweetest OF short lyrics.
Hard by In the orchard the catbird Is alter
natey nging and scolding Robins In little
docks are full Of excitement. expressed In
lively abrupt ohirps and sharp dramatic
calls From the woodland comes the in
credibly swift drum-roll OF the flicker. In
terrupted by the whett!ng Of a scythe. The
long high rattle Of the locust prophesies the
heat Of noon.
Any observer OF outdoor things set down
amid oil these sounds after suddenly wakin0
know that the summer was maturing. Hs
would set out with moral certainty In search
Of ripe black berries and look TO find the farm
sSs Ss oppsd sts rss
growth OF underbrurh. tho thickets densely
matched with cat briar and Wild grapevine.
the edge, OF the marshland luxuriant with
All the land is shadowed with dense wood
land masses. looking In the distance like
great impenetrable mounds and ridges Of
nipressnf forest. Pelham Bay Park. as
viewed from any neighbortng height, is a
of marsh and rimmed NM with the blue Of the
| sound. Van Cortlandt Park is as fallen
green sky obscured with thunderous ridge
ridge e 6S bsls vow with urPs 1Ss nd
Is clad In tropical wealth Of vegetation.
Al noon the forest masses are silent, swim.
ming In oloudless sunshine When you LOOK
closer you see the great trunks rising In the
| shadow OF the almost sun-proof thatch of
woven foliage. The sunshine here and there
penetrating the edges OF Ia,o the woodland Inn,d
and the observer scents In imagination the
warm breath OF the thicket. and the fragrance
Of the fern beds smitten by stray odoT waksn-
tree has let in the sunshine full upon bit
OF the woodland. the earth has an indescrib-
able effect OF untamed, uncultiyated Wild
ness. as Of some frightened creature sud,
denly overtaken In It's native haunts and
forced to undergo inspection OF hostll eyes.
Chaucer, who knew how to SEQ and to ex-
mas 9u Se OF
words: The ground aghast was OF that
| light" Strange that the mere earth on the
edge Of the most densely peopled spot on me
Western hemisphere should retain the native
wildness OF English ground 500 years ago.
With evening comes the southwest wind In
any other part OF the earth q wind SO regu,
lar and so characteristic would have q special
name, like the Chinook Of the Far West. or
tho Mistral Of southern France. This name
less wind comes laden with balm and elo-
scteristic scents and sights and sounds OF
| the suburban midsummer night. then glows
that ethereal spar k OF the flrefy. electric IN
hy Sg' d.R Of puTo
wall an exquisite decoration OF the night
Delicate. indistinguishable perfumes; chat
seem, one with the flooding moonlight and
the clear beauty Of the few large stars tell
that the wind in is journey northward has
passed over other things than the brick and
asphalt Of the city.
the earliest music of that strinRed orchestra
which l. gradually to replace the dying wind
Instruments OF the birds. The Crlckets are
shrilling and a few OF their musical brethren
are iddling in preparation for the great
musical festival Of the s,rilgsd instruments
been heard for this Is the equatorial season
when New York confesses herself a tropical
city, and no voice must interrupt to remind
the world that frost and winter are in store
for US. All night long the mingled streams
Of moonlight and perfumed wind hood the
suburban fields. and the hrehies alternately
bloom and fade in unmarked beauty and
new branches lengthen. and the thatch OF
woodland bowers IL woven thicker and thicker
and the summer hourly ripens toward It's
waning