FOURTH WEEK IN APRIL 



disturbed after blooming, if possible, as that is the time 

 which all bulbs employ to produce the embryo of the blossom 

 for next season, and the gradual ripening away of the foliage 

 is necessary during this operation, so that by depriving a 

 bulbous plant of its leaves (either by withholding water or 

 cutting them off), we make it impossible that any blossom 

 should be forthcoming the following season. Where it is 

 necessary to raise the bulbs of tulips after flowering in beds 

 in order to put in summer flowering plants the bulbs 

 should be replanted in rows in a sunny position with good 

 soil in the kitchen garden ; each bulb being placed 6 inches 

 from the next, after cutting off the dead blossoms and seed- 

 pods, for those exhaust the bulb. The tulips should then 

 be left undisturbed until eighteen months have passed ; 

 when, in October, the bulbs may be raised and sorted, those 

 which are large and firm being again available, whilst the 

 smaller bulbs can be returned to the soil. 



The summer birds are coming back ; the little yellow 

 chiff-chaff arrived a week ago ; the swallows will soon be on 

 their way, and the cuckoo, too, which usually reaches us 

 about the 1 8th. Now comes in the " sweet of the year " ; 

 and the birds, forsaking the semi-tropical heat of the Medi- 

 terranean shores, fly north in time to share it with us : 



" Oh ! every heart hath its sorrow, 

 And every heart hath its pain, 

 But a day is always coming 



When the birds go north again. 



'Tis the sweetest thing to remember, 



If courage be on the wane, 

 When the cold, dark days are over 



Why the birds go north again." 



The spotted fly-catchers, which built last year in a tiny 

 tray provided for them in the angle of the rose-arch on the 

 terrace, have arrived, and are busily constructing a new nest 

 in the same place. Last year they had a narrow escape from 

 the cat, which was caught in the act of climbing one of the 

 fir-poles ; but we then cut a quantity of holly branches, 



