30 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vili. 



Returning to Upnor, about four o'clock, I found the sun so 

 powerful that T was really glad to get under shelter of the woods, 

 which were fresh and pleasant, as usual, and gay with wild 

 flowers. Amongst these, the showy blossoms of the red lychnis 

 (Lychnis dlurna) were very conspicuous — some pale rose in 

 colour, and others of a rich carmine ; but, here and there, their 

 glory was eclipsed by the effulgence of the field poppy {Palaver 

 rhceas), which was then beginning to bloom abundantly. The 

 strange and beautiful luminous glow which surrounds these 

 brilliant flowers under certain conditions, did not present itself 

 to my senses on the occasion I refer to, though the vivid hue of 

 the scarlet corollas was very striking, and stood out from the 

 green gloom of the woods in strong relief. I found both the 

 common and black bryonies (Bryonia dioica et Tamus commu- 

 nis') in blossom ; also Sherardia arvensis, the stink mayweed 

 (Anthemis cotula), Ranunculus repens et arvensis, Fumaria 

 officinalis sparingly; Veronica chamozdrys, Myosotis arvensis, 

 Polygonum maritimum, Stachys sylvatica, Convolvulus arvensis, 

 Geranium dissectum, and other common plants; as well as 

 several grasses, which, although very lovely to the eye, have a 

 most unpleasant influence, in summer time, upon those who 

 suffer, as I do, from hay asthma. 



Ever and anon, I heard the cuckoo during my ramble home- 

 wards, and the soft, mournful notes of the wood pigeon (Columba 

 palumbus) came bubbling up at intervals from the leafy recesses 

 of the neighbouring groves, while the beautiful, little yellow- 

 hammer (Emberiza citrinella) constantly obtruded himself and 

 his pleasant whistle upon my notice, as I lingered amongst the 

 many attractions of the sweet, young woods. 



