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April 23. — Cardamine pratensis in full flower. Mr. Babington cor- 

 rectly says April in his Flora, but Hooker and Steele May. Forster, 

 perhaps a little fancifully, says, under April 6, " Flowers here and there 

 in moist meadows, hence its name Lady 's Smock, this being old Lady- 

 mas day in the old style." The cuckoo heard first time this season. 



The cowslips are now in full flowering, though Forster says " not 

 numerous in the meadows till about the 26th," (of an average season). 

 Bluebells {Scilla nutans) now tinting every copse with the azure of 

 heaven. Forster truly says, " Flowers about the middle of April ;" 

 yet Hooker, Babington, and Steele, all indicate May. April 23 (St. 

 George's day) is, according to Forster, the maximum flowering of 

 them. 



Caltha palustris in full golden perfection. Under April 22, Forster 

 says it " flowers plentifully." Hooker and Babington give it the be- 

 nefit of March, when perhaps a few stragglers may appear. It is 

 seldom that the authors of our Floras are early enough in their indica- 

 tions. Orange-tipped butterflies numerous in the meadows. 



Oaks putting forth young leaves this day, and frondescence every- 

 where apparent, except on ash-trees and black poplars. The season 

 so far a very forward one, as Forster gives May 10 as that of the "first 

 frondescence" of the oak, and I have known seasons when expanded 

 foliage was not procurable on May 29. 



April 27. — Lombardy poplars (P. dilatata) in leaf. 



April 30. — Apple-trees here and there in flower in orchards. 



The mean temperature of April was 47° Fahr., but as it had a con- 

 siderable proportion of gloominess, rain, and cold winds, there was 

 nothing very particular in its aspect, except as being more leafy than 

 usual. But the month of May set in with such extraordinary summer 

 weather, and throughout maintained such a clearness of sky and 

 absence of rain, as to make it remarkable to the commonest observer. 

 Hence, I was anxious to notice particularly any acceleration in the 

 flowering of our wild plants that might occur, and kept a look-out ac- 

 cordingly. The maximum temp, of April 24 was 49°, but on the 29th 

 this had risen to 56°, on the 30th to 61 £°, on May 4 to 70°, and on 

 May 12 to 80°, the average temp, for the week ending May 17 being 

 62^°, near ten degrees above the average value for the season. Yet, 

 strange to say, although fully in leaf, no hawthorn was in flower to my 

 observation on May 1, and even on May 5 I remark: "Apple-trees 

 generally in flower, but no hawthorn blossoms yet apparent." It is 

 remarkable, in fact, that none appeared till May 7, and the flowering 



