IN THE NORTH OF KENT 81 
we could still hear continued troubled notes 
—the beautiful song of a disturbed sedge- 
warbler, which had commenced to sing as we 
passed, a sign that its nest was near (see 
Part I, pp. 59-63). We had made a hasty 
search for it without success—they are always 
well concealed. Never, I thought, had I seen 
the may so white, nor the bluebells so blue! 
The weather had been cold, but a few days 
of sunshine had stimulated all Nature, and, 
blossoms had opened quickly, fresh and 
strong and clean, and leaves were of that 
crispness which is lost when they are fully 
out. The birds, too, had been spurred to 
work. The low blackberry bushes contained 
many nests. Being so low and the clumps 
easily got at all round, the nests in them 
were particularly well situated for photo- 
graphy. From the spinny came the warning 
‘crawk’ of a cock pheasant, and now and 
then one of his hens kept flying from the 
open to his protecting care. Cuckoos seemed 
everywhere—their notes were almost con- 
B.N.—Ill. G 
