CALENDAR, 1823. 437 



9th. The Swift Hirundo apus first appeared to-day. This 

 bird arrived at nearly the same time last year., I observe a 

 good many of the Bulbous Crowsfoot in flower; also the 

 double garden variety of the Meadow Crowsfoot, called 

 Bachelor'sButtons. Wallflowers plentiful. 



Borago officinalis in flower, though the plant is as yet small. 



Glechoma hederacea also flowering. 



10th. Asphodehis luteus just coming into flower to-day. 

 This appears to be the sort of Asphodel cultivated by the 

 Romans.* The Air is soft and the Sky cloudy, with a few 

 very gentle showers in large and distant drops : a beautiful day 

 for observing the colours of flowers, which, excepting certain 

 red ones, are not seen so well in Sunshine. I first observed 

 to-day the Bellis perennis to be so numerous in my fields, that 

 they may be called Meadows Trim tvith Daisies' Pride. The 

 Dandelion and Bulbous Crowsfoot are plentiful, nor has the 

 Pilewort ceased yet to ornament the grassy and shaded banks 

 with its gilded stars. The beds of Tulips are scarcely in full 

 blow yet, though nearly so : they make a splendid appearance 

 in this sort of weather. One remarkable lusus has occurred, 

 viz. a Tulip whose stalk bears several smaller flowering stalks, 

 so that, by thus branching out, one root bears five flowers. 



llth. Senecio squalidus in full flower. 



Calendula officinalis the Marigold 



Campanula speculum a single selfsown plant or two. 



Aethusa cynapium. 



Scandix odorata. 



The Narcissus tribe are now fading away, except the 

 poetic and the bililorate, which are called May Lilies here, 

 just as the early sort are called Lent Lilies. 



* See Phillips on Cultivated Vegetables, article As>pliodeL 



