APRIL. 85 



and pastures; the wild cherry enlivens the 

 woods ; and in the neighbourhood of Notting- 

 ham the vernal crocus presents a unique arid 

 most beautiful appearance, covering many acres 

 of meadow with its bloom ; rivalling whatever 

 has been sung of the fields of Enna ; gleaming 

 at a distance like a perfect flood of lilac, and 

 tempting very many little hearts, and many 

 graver ones too, to go out and gather. 



The blossom of fruit-trees presents a splendid 

 scene in the early part of the month ; gardens 

 and orchards being covered with a snowy pro- 

 fusion of plum-bloom ; and the black-thorn 

 and wild plum wreathe their sprays with such 

 pure and clustering flowers, that they gleam in 

 the shadowy depths of woods as if their boughs 

 radiated with sunshine. In the latter part of 

 the month,v the sweet and blushing blossoms 

 of apples and the wilding, fill up the succes- 

 sion, harmonizing delightfully with the tender 

 green of the expanding leaves, and continuing 

 through part of May. 



But perhaps the most delightful of all the 

 features of this month are the return of mi- 

 gratory birds, and the commencement of build- 

 ing their nests. Not only the swallow tribe, 



