Not long since we saw a troop of these little creatures, a dozen or more, fluttering over a muddy spot in the road, as they often do,—whether to drink or not, I do not know; there was a cottage and a blacksmith-shop close at hand, and a pretty white kitten had strayed out to sun herself. As we came to the spot puss was in the midst of the butterflies at quiet, gentle play with them; they did not seem to mind her good-natured taps at all, avoiding them by flitting about, but without any signs of alarm, still hovering over the same spot; we watched them a moment, and then, fearful that puss might wound some of her little play-fellows, we took her up and set her on the fence.
Heard a cat-bird and jays in the woods. Heard a gun also, boding mischief to partridges or pigeons.
Sat down to look at the water, and a bit of pebbly shore, many feet below. Counted the flowers of a tall mullein spike, which measured thirty-three inches in length; it bore five hundred and seventy flowers, or rather seed-vessels, for it was out of blossom; each of these seed-vessels was filled with tiny dark seed, probably by the hundred, for I had not the time or patience to count these. No wonder that mulleins are common; they must yield fruit ten thousand-fold! The birds do not seem to like their seed; they are not seen feeding on the mullein stalks, as we see them on the thistles every day.
Wednesday, 3d.—Pleasant. The varied greens of yesterday are already gone; light, delicate yellows prevail to-day, and the groves remind us of what we read of the golden gardens of the Incas, in the vale of Cuzco. Scarlet and crimson are increasing also; it seems singular, but the sumachs, which a few days since were a dark reddish purple, are now taking a bright scarlet, a
