XXv INTRODUCTION. 



finiif frees, the loud and shrill langh of the yaffle, 

 picus virtdus, and the cooing of the ringdove and 

 pigeon^, the gabbling of the turkey, the peacock 

 squalling before rain, and the owl hooting by night 

 are characteristic of this season ; but the most re- 

 markable bird which now arrives is the stone 

 curlew fedoa oedicnemus, who, flying over our 

 heads by night, makes a striking noise, repeated at 

 intervals like the grinding together of two mill- 

 stones. The raven and crow now lay, and the 

 rooks and daws awaken one in the morning with 

 their busy voices. Toads now make a strange 

 grunting noise, and the murmur of frogs croaking 

 from the pool is well known. Tlie bl€>oming of 

 the early shrubs is now a pleasing sight. The 

 mezereon daphne mezereoji is a bush covered with 

 pink flowers, which make a conspicuous figure in 

 the leafless gardens, to this we may add the almond, 

 the double blossomed peach, the early plimi, and 

 many others. 



The first plasots which appear at this season 

 are the yellow helleboi^, or winter aconite helle- 

 borus kyemelis called the flower of St. Paul, as it 

 often appears on the feast of the conversion of that 

 saint : its bright yellow flowers are well known 

 to precede both the snowdrop and the crocus, 

 which get common early in February; the yel- 

 low crocus crocus maesiacus, the cloth of gold, 

 crocus susianus the white striped croleur crocus ^ 



