172 NATURE NEAR LONDON. 



nut. The sunshine made the greenfinches call, the 

 chaffinches utter their notes, and a few thrushes sing ; 

 but the latter were soon silenced by frosts in the early 

 morning, which turned the fern to so deep a reddish 

 brown as to approach copper. 



At the beginning of October a herd of cows and a 

 small flock of sheep were turned into the clover field 

 to eat off the last crop, the preceding crops having 

 been mown. There were two or more magpies among 

 the sheep every day ; magpies, starlings, rooks, crows, 

 and wagtails follow sheep about. The clover this 

 year seems to have been the best crop, though in the 

 district alluded to it has not been without an enemy. 

 Early in July, after the first crop had been mown a 

 short time, there came up a few dull yellowish looking 

 stalks among it. These increased so much that one 

 field became yellowish all over, the stalks overtopped 

 the clover, and overcame its green. 



It was the lesser broom rape, and hardly a clover 

 plant escaped this parasitic growth. By carefully 

 removing the earth with a pocket-knife the two could 

 be dug up together. From the roots of the clover a 

 slender filament passes underground to the somewhat 

 bulbous root of the broom rape, so that although they 

 stand apart and appear separate plants, they are 

 connected under the surface. The stalk of the broom 

 rape is clammy to touch, and is an unwholesome 

 greenish yellow, a dull undecided colour ; if cut, it is 

 nearly the same texture throughout. There are, 

 numerous dull purplish flowers at the top, but it has 

 no leaves. It is not a pleasant looking plant a 

 strange and unusual growth. 



