the
violence of the descent. But within twenty feet of the earth he
recovered himself and rose again. Most of these dives, for they all
seemed to dive in turn, were made over the favourite oak, and they did
not rise till they had gone down to its branches. Many appeared about to
throw themselves against the boughs.

Whether they wheeled round in circles, or whether they dived, or simply
sailed onward in the air, they did it in pairs. As one was sweeping
round another came to him. As one sailed straight on a second closely
followed. After one had dived the other soon followed, or waited till he
had come up and rejoined him. They danced and played in couples as if
they were paired already. Some left the main body and steered right away
from their friends, but turned and came back, and in about half-an-hour
they all descended and settled in the oak from which they had risen. A
loud cawing and jack-juck-jucking accompanied this sally.

The same day it could be noticed how the shadows of the elms cast by the
bright sunshine on the grass, which is singularly fresh and green this
autumn, had a velvety appearance. The dark shadow on the fresh green
looked soft as velvet. The waters of the brook had become darker now;
they flowed smooth, and at the brink reflected a yellow spray of
horse-chestnut. The sunshine made the greenfinches call, the chaffinches
utter their notes, and a few thrushes sing; but the latter were soon
silenced by frosts in the early morning, which turned the fern to so
deep a reddish brown as to approach copper.

At the beginning of October a herd of cows and a small flock of sheep
were turned into the clover field to eat off the last crop, the
preceding crops having been mown. There were two or more magpies among
the sheep every day: magpies, starlings, rooks, crows, and wagtails
follow sheep about. The clover this year seems to have been the best
crop, though in the district alluded to it has not been without an
enemy. Early in July, after the first crop had been mown a short time,
there came up a few dull yellowish-looking stalks among it. These
increased so much that one field became yellowish all over, the stalks
overtopped the clover, and overcame its green.

It was the lesser broom rape, and hardly a clover plant escaped this
parasitic growth. By carefully removing the earth with a pocket-knife
the two could be dug up together. From the roots of the clover a slender
filament passes underground to