BIRDS IN THE GARDEN 



VEGETABLE life in the garden has sprung into 

 activity with almost startling suddenness during 

 the past week, a common enough but always 

 striking and pleasing experience when spring, 

 instead of stealing upon the country by inches, 

 is delayed, and comes in with a stride (1910). 

 The first day of March was so passably good that 

 the cultivator of the soil found himself asking, 

 " Is this the lion or the lamb? " Many decided 

 that it was good enough for the laying of seed, 

 and no small quantities of peas and sweet peas 

 were put down. On the second of the month the 

 leonine characteristics declared themselves, and 

 leonine March remained to the end. Throughout 

 the month seed sown on the first made not a 

 move, and, saturated with cold water for many 

 days, much of it may have rotted away. But 

 late April sunshine brought up with a rush what 

 remained good on well -drained slopes, and then 

 the carnival of the birds began. 



Most birds I am ready to defend through twelve 

 months of the year, but there are periods when 

 partizanship is put to a severe strain, and one 

 of them is here now. Probably the brilliancy of 

 April's opening, following upon the prolonged 



