58 THE UNUSUALLY MILD WINTER. 
bloom, and the silvery buds are very generally developed. At Bem- 
bridge, several Alder-trees are in full flower to-day, the 31st of January. 
On the Elms and Poplars (P. alba) the flower-buds are becoming con- 
spicuous. The Horse-chestnuts are already showing their sticky buds 
as large as hazel-nuts. The Wall Pellitory (Parietaria) seems. to have 
continued to grow throughout ihe winter, as several young shoots bear- - 
ing flower were gathered at Quarr Abbey on the 25th of January. . The: 
Wake-robin (Arum maculatum) is much more forward than usual, most. 
plants showing three or four leaves and making our hedgebanks look _ 
quite green. The Honeysuckle and Elder are vigorously sprouting ;. : 
and in the gardens Rose-bushes have made strong shoots. In one shel-. 
tered locality an old ** Banksia  Rose-tree trained against a wall already. 
shows its flower-buds. The Spurge Laurel (Daphne Laureola) flowered — 
in January. Herbaceous plants are less forward. The Daffodils, which — 
I once have seen flowering in January, are only a few inches above- — 
ground. -Draba verna is not yet in flower, though in advanced bud... 
The following dates will serve to show still more clearly the progress. _ 
of the season :— à 
Calendar for January, 1863. 
Jan. 5. Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) in advanced bud. Flower-bady 
of Salix cinerea much swollen. di 
» 6. Helleborus fetidus in flower. 
» . V. Catkins of the Alder nearly shedding pollen. Hazel voir in ! 
flower. Primroses many in flower. e 
» 15. Snowdrop and Violets in flower. a wa 
» 20. Butchers’ Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) in flower. Furze (uus : 
Europæus) plentifully in flower bE 
» 25. Mercurialis perennis (Wood Mercury) in flower. Daphne — 
: Laureola (Spurge Laurel), many bushes in flower. Corylus : 
(Hazel) plentifully in flower. Saliw cinerea et 8. caprea — 
many plants showing anthers. Parietaria (Wall par E 
tory) in flower. 3 
» 96. Vinca major plentifully in flower. Tussilago Farfara (cole , 
oot) in flower. 5m 
» 31. Alnus glutinosa (Alder) in flower. Birch (Betula alba) bowl 
; young catkins. Pulmonaria angustifolia, nearly in flower. 
^ A. G. MORE 
MARE 
Bembridge, January 31st. 
