158 NATURE NEAR LONDON. 



When they passed overhead the air sang like the 

 midsummer hum with the shrill noise of beating 

 wings. When they wheeled a light shot down re- 

 flected from their white breasts, so that people in- 

 voluntarily looked up to see what it could be. The 

 sun shone on them, so that at a distance the flock 

 resembled a cloud brilliantly illuminated. In an 

 instant they turned and the cloud was darkened. 

 Such a great flock had not been seen in that district 

 in the memory of man. 



There did not seem any reason for their congre- 

 gating in this manner, unless it was the mildness of 

 the winter, but winters had been mild before without 

 such a display. The birds as a mass rarely left this 

 one particular field they voyaged round in the air 

 and settled again in the same place. Some few used 

 to spend hours with the sheep in a meadow, remain- 

 ing there till dusk, till the mist hid them, and their 

 cry sounded afar in the gloom. They stayed all 

 through the winter, breaking up as the spring ap- 

 proached. By March the great flock had dispersed. 



The winter was very mild. There were buttercups, 

 avens, and white nettles in flower on December 31st. 

 On January 7th, there were briar buds opening into 

 young leaf ; on the 9th a dandelion in flower, and an 

 arum up. A grey veronica was trying to open flower 

 on the llth, and hawthorn buds were so far open that 

 the green was visible on the 16th. On February 14th 

 a yellow-hammer sang, and brambles had put forth 

 green buds. Two wasps went by in the sunshine. 

 'The 14th is Old Candlemas, supposed to rule the 

 weather for some time after. Old Candlemas was 



