MAY. 



" Every little rill, 



And every small bird trilling joyfully, 



Tells a secret tale of hope, and love, and peace." 



1st. Lovely day. No Hawthorn in flower for the May girls, but 

 plenty of Blackthorn, and this was freely used in its place. Skylark, 

 Cuckoo, Chaffinch heard singing, and Rooks "crooing," from my 

 garden. Lark singing at 8 p.m. It is light until that hour now. 

 No wind. 



2nd. Another charming day. Chaffinch "pinking" in the garden. 

 South-west winds. 



Hrd. Raining and blowing a miniature gale. Skylark singing in 

 spite of unpropitious elements. Went to Zoological Gardens again 

 to-day, and, referring to my recent notes, it may be interesting to my 

 readers to know that amongst the food consumed for twelve months 

 by the various animals may be mentioned -234 horses, weighing 92 

 tons ; 186 Goats, weighing 869 stone : 1 ,'260 quarts of Shrimps. Further, 

 800 was given for the young Giraffe in the collection; and since 1898 

 eleven Anthropoid Apes have died in the Gardens, Tuberculosis is 

 stated to have been the cause, and the Society is considering whether 

 better housing will stop the mortality. 



4th. Nice day, good deal sunshine, but changeable winde- Plum- 

 blossom setting, but we want several hours nice steady rain. Potatoes 

 through. Irises " heading up " rapidly. Sycamore in full leaf. 



Mr. W. A. Nicholson, Portobello, N.B., kindly sends me the 

 following notes on the Earthworm : 



"The common Earthworm plays an important part in the animal 

 kingdom in many ways. Without this creature and others of its kind, 

 plants and shrubs would not grow well, and the flower gardener would 

 probably lose his most cherished blossoms. The Earthworm is a 

 beautifully-constructed creature, and is generally found crawling 



