Calendar of Flora, Fauna and Pomona. 315 



to strike off southwards to the Cape. It was in this progress 

 up the Zambezi that Mr. Forbes died, in the twenty-fifth 

 year of his age. He received his botanical education under 

 Mr. Shepherd of the Botanic Garden at Liverpool, and had, 

 by close application, acquired so much information in many 

 other branches of natural science, as to justify the expectation 

 that, had his life been spared, he would have stood high in 

 the list of scientific travellers, and have been eminently useful 

 to the Society whose patronage he enjoyed. 



Calendar of Flora, Fauna, and Pomona, at Hartfield in 

 Sussex. From Jan. 1. to Mar. 20, 1824. 



Jan. l.— Tussilago fragrans, or Shepherd of Edonia *, 

 which flowered early in December, is still in full blow. 



Jan. 25. — St. Paul's Day. Fair. Mezereon, Snowdrop, 

 and Hepatica. 



Feb. 2. — Candlemas Day has ever been regarded as cri- 

 tical with respect to the coming year. This year it is fair and 

 mild, and we have a large share of the early spring plants in 

 blow, viz. 4-nemone Hepatica, abundantly, in 3 varieties ; 

 Tussilago alba, the White Butterbur ; Primula vera, the Prim- 

 rose; Primula poli/antha, the Polyanthus; Daphne Meze- 

 reon : Galantha nivalis, Snowdrop, here and there ; Lamium 

 garganicum : Lamium purpureum, the Dead Nettle ; Viburnum 

 Tinus, the Laurel tree ; Helleborus hyemalis, Winter Helle- 

 bore. To these we might add a solitary Crocus, a few Stocks 

 and Wall-flowers, all in blow ever since last year. 



Feb. 14. — Crocus vernus, the Early Spring Crocus, in 

 blow. This plant is in this county always in full flower by 

 St. Valentine. Vinca minor is very abundant. Leontodon 

 Taraxacum, the Dandelion, here and there. 



Feb. 1 7. — A paraselene about 35° S. W.of the moon to-night. 



Feb. 18. — A brilliant meteor in the N.W., descending in 

 direction to the N.E. at midnight. 



Feb. 24. — The number of Snowdrops and Crocuses increase, 

 and together with the Hepatica and Polyanthuses render the 

 gardens gay. Doronicum Pardalianches came into flowei 

 to-day, which is very unusually early. I never remember it 

 before the middle of March. 



The blackbird sang on the 25th of January, and the 

 thrush, woodlark, ami redbreast, Feb. 2d. 



On the 18th of February, though the sky was very clear, 

 and the stars apparently bright, there was some peculiarity in 

 the atmosphere which prevented good astronomical obser- 

 vations. In observing Mars, in order to disperse his light 



• I hall generally £i\c (he provincial name-; of Sussex for ulanls, as 

 thi» nwiv interest «ome readers, as well a"> Latin names, 



R r 2 in 



