JUNE, 1883. 313 



throughout the country would be invaluable to the 

 student of more than one branch of natural phenomena; 



If white-coloured petals are an evidence of retrogres- 

 sion and a sign of ".dissipated energy," there are an ex- 

 ceptional number of such decking the country at present'. 

 One hillside is beautifully shaded by means of the white 

 masses of May thorn, more' than sprinkling the green 

 foliage of the copsewood ; the \Vhite .clover is especially 

 abundant. The rowan tree blossom has been also most 

 luxuriant, and we are having a foretaste of that coming 

 world of colourless blossoms we are threatened with. 

 Will your eyes by that time be so cultivated as to distin- 

 guish such a multitude of gradations in the whites that 

 the refinement of shades will quite compensate for the 

 loss of the ruder and more primitive hues ? It is scarce- 

 ly possible to imagine an ugly natural world the Black 

 Country is not Nature's making as it is or one from 

 which a cultured eye could not draw nourishment for its 

 artistic colour-sense. 



It is most aggravating ! There is shouting and wail- 

 ing in front and behind, for the fine array of ducklings 

 have been sadly weeded out. Every day finds a victim, 

 and perhaps two, and the drove that lately followed their 

 hen mothers has got " small by degrees, and beautifully 

 less." At least one of them was seen to disappear in the 

 maw of a heron that is a steady visitor to the stream in 

 front ; but the bulk of them have been pounced upon 

 when in the upper course of the stream by one or other 

 of a pair of blackbacked gulls. The hens on these occa- 

 sions seem rather pleased than otherwise, and make no 

 effort to beat off the marauders, but cluck the remainder 

 together and drive them home before them, the little 

 fellows getting a tremendous scare that lasts for an hour 



