NATURE IN MAY. 89 



up now, and the Polyanthus in the cottager's home garden 

 make a brave show with Oxlips, and budding Pinks, Car- 

 nations, Nutmeg, May, Stocks, and many coloured Pansies. 



Right over us soars a Skylark ; notice that at this season the 

 song is hardly so well sustained as a short time back ; it 

 seems to finish about three parts through, at least those in 

 our district do. In the illustration given of this bird, with the 

 three brownish coloured eggs secreted in the cup-shaped depres- 

 sion in the ground, one of the parent birds is seen dropping 

 to the earth after one of those heavenward soarings in which 

 this minstrel so delights, and its partner appears in the picture 

 as if welcoming him, and congratulating herself that she has such 

 a model husband. 



The Lambs at any rate those not killed off are strong, but 

 still frolicsome. The old ones look on at their playful skir- 

 mishes and seem to say, "Ah, if you live to get as old as us 

 you will know better 1" 



We rest upon the old stile, we have known it for years ; 

 our grandfather tells us it was there when he was a boy and 

 his father often rested upon it, so we must sit down and take 

 a view of the distant landscape. 



How lovely everywhere and everything ! I need not attempt 

 to describe the scene, it is well known to the Nature soul. 

 Right across goes a Red Admiral Butterfly; what a poor name 

 for such a handsome creature ! A Bunting or two disport 

 themselves in the hedgerow, and a Robin goes in the tangled bank 

 with a worm. The Red and White Campions are out now, and 

 the various specimens of Wild Geraniums. So also is the Horse 

 Chestnut and the Crab blossom, and this is the season, too, of 

 the Wild Hyacinths white and blue, the latter for the most part. 



The migrants and resident birds are nearly all singing, 

 though the Tits are almost silent, and they are all busy with 

 parental cares and affections. The Great Titmouse or Oxeye 

 as he is called in the country is another bird which is very 

 fond of building in all manner of out-of-the-way places. I give 

 an illustration of a pair of these birds with their nest built in 

 a beehive, a portion of the hive having been cut away for the 

 purpose of showing the nest. Notice the snug nest containing 

 six white eggs, freckled with light brown. 



