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the waving Poplar, the fresh viridescence of the Ash (whose old, beggarly, last 

 years' tatters are, however, not quite concealed), and the olivaceous hue of the 

 branching Walnut, bear witness to their later emergence into the glories of the 

 scene. In the shrubbery, the Horse Chestnut ( JEsculus hippocastanum) towers 

 its digitated leaves, where a few of its fading blossoms still linger, though lost in 

 the distance ; but its glories are past ; and the Laburnum, too, gorgeous in its 

 chains of gold, is also rapidly going out. These, and a host of others, combine 

 in the distant grove that extends itself like a dark wall, gloomy with verdure. 



The meadows now claim our attention, where the yellow Ranunculus forms 

 long curls of gold far among the green grass, and this golden tint is finely mel- 

 lowed and heightened by the intervening red spikes of the tall sheep's sorrel. 

 Here and there, too, the broad white disk of the great Daisy ( Chrysanthemum 

 leucanthemum ) starts up, and the Cat's-ear and Crepis stretch out their yellow 

 floscules in full glory, while the rich pink honeysuckle Clovers form a delightful 

 contrast to the eye, and refresh the olfactory nerves with balmy fragrance. A 

 crowd of minute yellow Trefoils, too, ramify amid the roots of the grass. On the 

 bank of the river, where a minute tink of water descends through the spear grass 

 in the deep trench it has worn for itself in the lapse of years, the Comfrey (Sym- 

 phytum officinale) hangs its deep purple velvet bells, and the pink Lychnis ( L. 

 Jlos-cuculi) decorates the same vicinity with its ragged petals that announce the 

 approach of the summer solstice. Here, too, a patch of blue Speedwell ( V. cha- 

 mcedrysj lingers, and the smaller azure-flowered Veronica heccahungx spreads 

 its lengthened arms into the water itself, whence we have started the Grey Wag- 

 tail from its nest. A band of gold stretches along the margin of the river, 

 formed by the specious flowers of the wild Mustard ; while the purple disk of a 

 thistle occasionally diversifies it, or the white-powdered Plantago media stands 

 conspicuously forth, like a liveried lacquey waiting for orders. 



But the clouds are passing away, and the burning gleam of noon flashes upon 

 the brightening scene. The Thrush is no longer heard quavering from amidst 

 the oaks, and the noisy Chaffinch himself gives only an occasional twitter. A 

 still brighter and hotter flash of radiance succeeds, and its energetic power calls 

 forth the transcendant tribes of insects. The great Humble-bee booms in rapidly- 

 shortening circles through the sounding air, and his compatriot, whose tail of 

 red fire dashes along like a spark from a wheel, scarcely booms lower than he : 

 another trumpeter sounds a shriller clangour as he rushes to the nectareous tube 

 of the White Archangel, and a thousand minor buzzers give a voice to the air 

 that steals over the distance with melodious effect. Now, rising over the grass, 

 a host of black and brown Cantharida? ( C.fusca et livida), with red abdomens, 

 appear conspicuous, while one of comparatively rarer occurrence, clothed in com- 

 plete scarlet ( C. cardinalis, Shaw), seems to take his stand as an officer to com- 

 mand them. These coleopterous insects, generally very numerous at this season 



