154 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



The Quaking Grass is plentiful now, and deserves special mention, 

 a remark which also applies to the Bracken, which is a delicious 

 green. The cones of the Firs are coming along very quickly; it was 

 only at Easter that we noted the appearance of the flowers. 



llth. Scorching hot; 127 in the sun, 85 in the shade. Summer 

 at last 11 Blackbird, Skylark, and Rook heard at 3 a.m. in the order 

 written. The two former were singing, the Rooks passing from the 

 rookery towards the South, probably to their feeding grounds. 

 Chaffinch and Greater Whitethroat singing near my garden. 



Haycutting proceeding in the district now. The farmers tell 

 me the crops are quite ripe, and that they want to make hay while the 

 sun shines, but the crops are very poor and thin. There is no 

 "bottom." Clear, full moon at night, and sweet country scents when 

 the dew had descended. 



12th. Very hot again. Thunderstorms, but not so heavy as are 

 reported this morning in many districts. As usual, the Skylark was 

 towering towards the clouds quite early this morning, singing as 

 beautifully as ever he did. Is not the singing season of this bird a 

 lengthy one? We will perhaps analyse it later on. Chaffinch and 

 Greater Whitethroat singing in the vicinity of my garden. 



A golden moon at 9 p.m., but a storm came over from the South 

 and obscured it from view. The lightning was very vivid, but the 

 thunder was not at all heavy. 



13th. Cooler. The heat wave has apparently passed. The 

 "three hot days and a thunderstorm," which comprise the proverbial 

 English Summer, has been strikingly illustrated since the 10th. 



14th. Heavy rain storms. Some thunder. Skylark singing. One 

 of the sights of the floral world just now is the snow-white mass 

 of Oxeye Daisies on the railway banks and in the meadows. Why is 

 it that these hardy flowers grow so freely by the side of a railway? 

 Another salient feature of the country-side now is the light green 

 tassels on the Fir trees. As seen against the blackish branches the 

 effect is charming. The foliage on most trees is in its loveliness 

 now, and cannot fail to attract the attention of those who see in these 

 things a sense of the beautiful and the grand. One may be captivated 

 with the scenery of many a foreign land, but here in Britain we have 

 sufficient to charm and interest the most selfish observer. I could 

 spend all my days in well-wooded Hertfordshire, and even then leave 

 unexplored a hundredth part of the Fauna of this delightful home 



