1902 A Field Naturalisfs Diary for \(^o\ 43 



i7^A. — Biting cold. I heard a great tit utter the note of 

 the chiff chaff, part of the redbreast's song, and the call of 

 the nuthatch — this last so realistically as to bring one of 

 these birds to the mimic. The rhododendrons were well 

 budded, and the furze in flower ; the moles had been busy 

 " casting up " ; the beautiful red buds on the young branches 

 of the lime prominent ; the activity of the screaming jays 

 and the nuthatch, and the timidity of the ring-dove, at- 

 tracted notice. 



2is^. — I heard the chaffinch singing for the first time ; 

 noted the earliest snowdrop. The air was full of the deli- 

 cate song of the lark. 



24/A. — Many gnats were out. 



25^/j. — Again heard the chaffinch. The hedge-sparrow is 

 now in much fuller song. 



2'^th. — The song thrush singing. 



March ^^-d. — Cold, but sunny. The yellow bunting first 

 heard singing. The female blossom of the nut hazel first 

 noticed out. Four or five woodcocks have been shot during 

 this winter in a wood within a few hundred yards of my 

 house. 



^th. — Robin, song thrush, and skylark singing at 6.15 p.m. 



10th. — At 4.30 A.M. rooks were passing over, cawing 

 loudly ; at 5.45 a.m. the skylark singing and soaring. The 

 rooks busy at the nesting - trees ; great tit very noisy. 

 Crocuses out in a blaze of splendour ; primroses in flower 

 in the garden. Hedge - sparrow's and blackbird's nests 

 found. Germander speedwell in flower. 



12th. — Earthworms lying out at night ; house flies about. 



17//!. — Temperature between 70° and 80° in the sun. 

 Summer heat ! The singing of the blackbird makes a 

 welcome addition to the birds already in song. The lap- 

 wings are in pairs in the same old loved spots. Jackdaws 

 are prominent. Lesser celandine, chickweed, dog's mer- 

 cury, green hellebore, and sallow in flower. In the woods 

 the primroses are some in bud and some in flower. Found 

 several blackbirds' and song thrushes' nests ready for eggs. 

 Bluebottle-fly seen. Saw what I took to be a white wagtail 

 at the bottom of my garden ; it did not seem so lively as 

 the pied species, and I noted the black head, throat, and 



