92 APRIL. 



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 profusion of 

 plum-bloom; and the blackthorn and wild plum 

 wreathe their sprays with such pure 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, the sweet and 

 blushing blossom of apples and the wilding fill up 

 the succession, harmonizing delightfully with the 

 tender green of the expanding leaves, and continu- 

 ing through part of May. 



The catkins or pendulous flowers of many of 

 the trees are now peculiarly beautiful ; those of the 

 birch hang like golden tassels, and especially where 

 these elegant trees abound, as they do in the roman- 

 tic defiles of the Trosachs ; ranging themselves 

 stem above silvery stem up the rocky heights, they 

 present a lovely aspect. Those of the Tacamahac 

 hang large and abundant, and with the young un- 

 folding leaves diffuse a fine aromatic odour. The 

 ash-trees are quite black with their large conglome- 

 rated buds, which gradually unfold themselves into 

 tufts of fibres, whence the keys afterwards depend. 

 The alder too is covered, as in the end of last 

 month, with its dark bunches ; and the elm is per- 



