It is curious， but all the life on and about water seems to belong to water. Except for a solitary wren f？idgeting delicately about the banks under the alder trees， or a robin singing in the October afternoon across the water from the islands， all the bird-life is that of water birds. Rooks never seem to come here， nor starlings； an occasional pigeon f？laps across to the woods； even the sea-gulls belong to the ploughed land. But wild swans come back to nest in the piles of fawn-colored reeds in the spring， and two great herons stalk the water-meadows every day， struggling ponderously upwards at the sound of voices. Snipe whirl away across the tussocks of brown-quelled sedge on the adjacent marshland， and a solitary kingf？isher breaks with magic electric streaks the dark enclosures under the alders that span the narrowest water. But something， and for long periods， there is no life and no sound at all. The water is slowly stilled after the last f？ish have broken it， the coot are silent， the leaves cease their shaking and falling in the dead October air. The crimson f？loat comes to rest on water that seems to have on it a skin of oil.
On such still clear days the color is wonderful. From the south bank of the water poplar and alder and ash and horse-chestnut let fall high liquid curtains of lemon and bronze. Orchards of cherry and pear shoulder with drooping orange f？lames beyond the light wall of almost naked willows. The oaks are still green， but the beeches in the distances stand like red mountains. And on the lake itself unexpected color springs up： an island of quince trees， still green， but hung with many ripe lanterns of bright fruit that no one gathers.
十月的枯叶飘落在湖上。在明朗而又平静的日子，成千上万片的树叶散落在此时色泽渐暗的湖面。白杨的大部分黄色小舰队，在没有风飘的空中，不断从高大的树梢上自己振落，稀稀落落，似乎有落水的声音。不过在雨中，或是雨后，这些小船就游走，或者是被吹走了。于是，除了残留的莲叶依然遮住湖面，湖上就再没有侵犯物了。盛夏时节，那些像一个个翡翠玉盘而覆盖了整个湖面的莲叶，如今也枯谢了；而那犹如正在游动的小蛇的黄色小花蕾，此刻也已不复存在。芦苇也萧条了，被寒风和严霜编织成凌乱的篓状小洲。湖上的鸹鸟和黑鸭听到陌生人的响动，便溜进这 “小洲”底下躲起来。