October's farewell wekk. 187 



our first specimen of autumn, the beautiful Furze-blossom, (JJlex Europobus.) 



The 26th. was a day equally as lovely, and the Redbreast, (Rubecula 

 familiaris,) was singing throughout it — -a merry little fellow! AVe found in our 

 walk round our viHage, the Holly, [Ilex AquifuUum,) in full berry; and 

 gathered the last Harebell, [Gampanula rot unci ifolia,) and a lonely Chicory 

 flower, (Cichorium.) We were amused with a flock of Larks, (Alauda arvensis,) 

 that enclosed in a ring a Kestrel, [Falco tinnunculus,) and so edged him in 

 that he appeared utterly unable to elude them. At last, affrighted at their 

 numbers, he sprang upwards, like a cork from a ginger beer bottle, and was 

 off. 



The 27th. was a very wet day, raining in torrents, the wind direct west; 

 and on the following morn it somewhat abated; but we found on the 29th. 

 many fields on the banks of the Yare completely deluged, and the marshes 

 one sheet of water. On this day, however, we had a Swallow, {Hirnndo 

 rustica,) at the old nest over our window, taking its "last look," we thought; 

 like a friend reluctantly parting from its home. And on our taking a stroll 

 in a beautiful garden, belonging to a neighbour in our village, beside the 

 banks of the Yare, that adds great beauty to the grounds, we met with our 

 first specimen of the Didapper or Dab-chick, (Podiceps minor;) which, though 

 an annual visitor, we have never known before at so early a period; the late 

 fall of rain, we imagined, had tempted it hither before its stated time. 



A Blackbird, (Me,rula vulgaris,) was cheerfully enlivening a Lauristinus, 

 beneath which a crimson Lobelia, {Lobelia fulgeus,) was in lovely show. 



On our return home we saw a large company of Starlings and Rooks, 

 [Sfurnus vulgaris ct Corvus frugilegus;) and found on a Hawthorn tree, Crafcegus 

 oxi/acantha,) a body of hen Chaffinches, [Fringilla Ccelehs,) about eighty in 

 number, evidently preparing for their well-known migration. Overhead the 

 Lark was in full song. 



On the 30th. we saw two Swallows at our nest several times during the 

 day; and on the 31st. we captured, in the sunlight so pleasantly warm, a 

 good specimen of the Privet Moth, (Sphinx Ligustri,) calmly sleeping; and 

 we saw a Red Admiral, {Vanessa Atalanta,) basking on a Larkspur, Delphi- 

 nium^ in our garden ; we were not equally 'fortunate in securing him. On the 

 evening of this day, from half-past six to nine o' clock, we were gratified by a 

 beautiful display of the Aurora Borealis; — after darting pyramidically for a 

 length of time, with many coruscations similar to the zodiacal light, it gradually 

 extended itself in a semicircle, from the East towards the S. West, and with 

 a pale but bright light, formed a lovely arch, like to a lunar rainbow. Have 

 any of the readers of "The Naturalist," noted whether these northern lights 

 are the heralds of frost or of rain? More frequently, when I have seen 

 them, they have been precursors of storm and wet, rather than frost; though 

 always rendering the atmosphere very cold. 



Thus gloriously expired October, the "nut-brown" month! whose death was 

 amid smiles; and we feared his successor would awaken us to the reality of 



