i3 r > IRambles wttb mature Stubents 



Few people seem to know that wild birds need 

 feeding quite as much in a long dry summer as in 

 a hard winter, and a pan of water is also a great 

 luxury to our feathered friends. All kinds of finches 

 feed greedily upon thistle seeds, and many other 

 species seek for their favourite chickweed and 

 groundsel, plantain, vetches, and hawkweed. 



Other weeds are the resort of shy birds that we 

 seldom see in the act of feeding, because their keen 

 sight and hearing give them warning of our approach, 

 and they slip away under cover until we have passed by. 



Wild pigeons, if they do a great deal of harm in 

 eating more than their share in the corn-fields, also do 

 some good by feeding upon charlock or wild mustard, 

 one of the most troublesome weeds the farmer has 

 to contend with. They also eat the seeds of various 

 polygonums which are sure to abound in fallow land. 



We see then that weeds are really wayside provisions 

 for the feathered tribes, and fulfil an important office 

 in maintaining their lives when other resources fail. 



The illustration shows the resemblance between 

 the trefoil pods and a bird's foot, hence the appro- 

 priateness of its name. It is a happy time for 

 the humble bees when this plant, with its pretty 

 yellow blossoms, is out in flower the lawn is so 

 covered with the busy little insects one can hardly 

 walk without treading upon them. 



HOME-MADE INK 



A curious fungus known as the maned agaric 

 (Coprinus comatus] is now growing in abundance in 

 a grassy nook behind some evergreens, where it 



