62 SIIUOVE TIDE? 



MARCH 2. St. Ceada or Chad, b. and c. a.d. 673. 

 St. Simplicius, pope and conf. 

 St. Marnan, bishop and conf. 

 St. Charles the Good, earl of Flanders, m. 

 St. Joavan, bishop and conf. 

 SS. martyrs, under the Lombards. 



06s. St. Chad was brought up in the monastery of Lindisfarne, 

 and became Bishop of Litchfield. He died in the pestilence of 673. 



Dwarf Cerastium Cerastium piimillum flowers. 



This plant is now in blow, but being small and insignificant is 

 taken but little notice of. 



The Mezereon Daphne Mezereon is often by this time in full 

 flower, and its beautiful pink flowering bush is a conspicuous orna- 

 ment standing up in the bare and leafless garden, where there are 

 as yet only a few plants of the Primaveral Flora in blow : it begins 

 in mild seasons to blow much before this time, and continues through 

 March and into the beginning of April. 



The whistle of the Blackbird from the bush, and the mellow note 

 of the Throstle perched on the naked bough of some lofty tree, are 

 heard from the beginning of the month ; at the same time the 

 Ringdove cooes in the woods. The Rookery is now all in motion 

 with the labour of building and repairing nests ; and highly amusing 

 it is to observe the tricks and artiiices of this thievish tribe, some to 

 defend, and others to plunder, the materials of their new habitations. 

 These birds are falsely accused of doing much injury to the farmer, 

 by plucking up the young corn and other springing vegetables ; but 

 this mischief is fully repaid by their diligence in picking up the 

 grubs of various insects, which if suffered to grow to maturity would 

 occasion much greater damage. 



On this day in 1780 was a bright Aurora Borealis, a phenomenon 

 very common all that spring. In 1781, Eugh in flower, gold fishes 

 on the surface of the ponds, violets in flower some days. In 1782, 

 which was an early year. Crocus, Snowdrops, and Hellebores, had 

 almost done blowmg ; the Blackthorn was in flower; and dust was 

 flying on the road between Walthamstow and London. 



