The Woods In Late Fall

The border of the woods wore a sleepy look of contentment, as if there all were quite ready for winter. We fourid the clematis tr.iiling over low shrubs and weaving in and out among the thickets. Like the golden-rod iu its oíd age, the clem;itis had put on silvery plumes in place of flowers, and we bore away with us for decorations at home sonie of the graceful festoons of this vine. Still more ambitious than the clematis was the greeubrier (specif s of smilax) whicli had gone climbing quite above our heads, and had suspended its clusters of small green-black berries, which might have been supposed to be fairy grapes, and which we hoped some late-lingering bird would find and eat, on a hungry winter rnorning now not far away. And while we were saying this, a number of little people in gray and black, as fantastic as maskers, came fluttering' into the noses of the clematis and greenbrier. 'Dee ! dee ! DEE ! what do you here. coming without permission into our territory?" There are not so many words in the chickadee language, but such as there are are most expressive, and we soou beat a retreat. Not long after we entertained ourselves by playing hide-and-seek around a great treetrunk with a nuthatch. Now, the nuthatch has the advantage of his cousin the woodpecker iu one respect - he can go arouud the truuk of a tree head downward as well as in the upright position ; and he was, on this occasion, full of