504 Naturalist's Monthly Report. “[onidie. 4 
The first part of Thunberg’s Flora capensis, the publication of which has been nearly de- 
spaired of, is come to this country, but we have not yet had an opportunity of perusing it. , . 
The ninth volume of the Linnean transactions is published, but our limits oblige us to 
defer any notice of its contents, as also of the two last numbers of the Botanical Magazines. 
a nc a a nl . 
NATURALIST’s MONTHLY REPORT. , 
OCTOBER. 
SHEDDING MONTIi, 
Now the leaf 
Incessant rustles from the mournful grove ; 
; it startling such as, studious, walk below, 
And slowly circles through the waving air. 
But should a quicker breeze amid the boughs 
Sob, o’er the sky the leafy deluge streams 5 : 
Till choaked, and matted with the dreary shower, 
t The forest walks, at every rising gale, 
Roll wide the wither’d waste. ah 
CTOBER 15. Leaves of the lime trees begin to fall in the night, 
October 17. Leaves of the oak turn brown. ; 
» October 18. Leaves of the elm, ash, poplar, lilac, and several kinds of willow, are shod. 
October 21, Leaves of apple-trees fall. 
‘The hedges begin to lose their verdure. 
October 25. Leaves of the maple fall. . 
October 26, The lime and poplar-trees deprived of nearly all their leaves. , 
October $1. The sycamore and mulberry-trees yet retain their yerdure. 
During the first three weeks of the present month, the wind has blown from the north and 
north-west; the weather has consequently been cold, and we have occasionally had heavy 
showers, The general character of the weather has been this :, always fine sunny mornings; 
towards eleven or twelve o’clock the clouds have collected, and during the remainder of the 
day it has sometimes been rainy, but generally fair, with occasional showers, and gleams of 
sunshine. On the 23d the wind changed from north to south-west, and in the afternoon and 
night blew almost a hurricane 5 and distant thunder was sometimes heard. From the ¥4th 
to the 30th we had much both of wind and rain: the latter at three or four different times 
fellin torrents. . : 
October 3. A frog: fish (Lophius piseatorius.of Linnzeus) of considerable size was caught by 
some fishermen in their nets. 
October 6. The fruit of the elder, and of all the wild species of rose, of the holly and 
black briony, is ripe.. ¢ ; 5 
A woodcock was shot in the New Forest, in the first week of October. But Iam inform- 
ed that these birds have been killed in Norfolk more than a fortnight ago. : 
October 14. This morning -I saw a humming-bird, hawk-moth (Sphina stellatarum o 
Linnzus), hovering about and feeding from some of the tubular flowers that are yet leit in 
avery warm and well inclosed garden. if 
The farmers are busily employed in sowing their wheat. This will continue during al} 
the remainder of the moath, and for the first week or fortnight of November. ; 
From the unfavourable weather of the present season, the young swarms of bees are go 
light, that it is supposed they will not be all able to survive the winter. The breeders, as I 
am informed, mean, on this account, to take several of them. c 
‘October 20. Hares come from the open downs into the furzes and thickets. ' 
“‘Yhe Royston crows are arrived. They frequent chiefly the sea-shore, feeding on such ani- 
mal productions as, by the receding of the tide, are left-upon the sands. Rea 
Several of the summer flowers yet continue to adorn theoficlds and hedges. In corn-fields 
I observe the little field madder (Sherardia arvensis), melilot trefoil (Medicago lupulina), least 
Snapdragon (Axtirrbinum minus), round leaved snapdragon (Antitrbinun spurium), und blue~ 
bottle (Centaurea Cyanus). On the dry banks. several species of hawkweed; and in the 
hedge-bottoms bladder campion (Cucubalus bebex) and long-stalked crane’s bill (Gerazium. Co~ 
fumbinum). There area few flowers still left on the weodbines. S>' 
The fruit of the barberry, and woody nightshade (Solauam dulamara), is tripe. . Medlars 
are ripe. nt 
October 31. Although the greater part of the martins are certainly. gone, a few strag~- 
glers are yet left. I see two or three still fying about. These are no doubt,some of the 
Jater breeds, which, not being ready te attend the general migration, have been left. behing ; 
and it is probable that they may pass the wintery in a torpid state, in some place. of .conceal- 
ment in this country. we 
Hampshire. ‘ MONTHLY 
