AUTUMN OR SPRING?
Every botanist knows that autumn is a second spring, a time of germination and growth as well as of decay. Birds, too, feel this springlike sense. I had a suggestive example this week. On the evening of August 26th the thrushes sang loudly in the garden after many weeks of silence. Every- one noticed the suddenness and fullness of their lyrical outburst. The next morning we all said, "This is the first day of autumn." The peculiar scent of autumn was in the air, Almost always there is a clear and obvious first of autumn, a day when things are different and the hottest sun, or the most gorgeous roses, cannot deceive you into the belief that summer is present. A new season has begun ; and almost the best in England. It is quite the best—and by a large margin— at the nearest point across the Atlantic. If you want tp taste autumn's perfection, or at any rate relative perfection, the place to go to is Newfoundland, where along with a delicious air you may enjoy a supreme glory of colouring, especially in the low berry bushes, that everywhere prevail.
W. BEACH THOMAS..
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