166 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



wort (only a few flowers out, mostly gone off flower), Meadow Vetchling 

 (any quantity in flower), Dogwood, Bird's Foot Trefoil (the railway 

 banks one mass of golden with this flower now), Sainfoin, Oxeye 

 Daisy (what a picturesque bouquet these flowers make when a few of 

 the many various grasses now out are bunched up with them), Wild 

 Strawberry (both in flower and fruit; we pick a few from Nature's 

 own bountiful garden), Hawthorn (the last time this will be included 

 for 1900), Comfrey, Goat's Beard, Bugle, Common Vetch, Broadleaved 

 Plantain (how sweet-smelling the flowers of this latter), Field Rose and 

 Field Thistle. This is, I believe, the largest list of flowers in bloom 

 yet included in my Diary. It is well over sixty species. 



The reddish seed-pods of the Sycamore were very noticeable 

 to-day, as also the young leaves of the Nut Hazel and the fine long 

 rows of Potatoes. Rhododendrons still in flower. Avenue of Lime 

 trees very charming now; prickly fruit of Horse Chestnut well formed; 

 bunches of seeds on Ash more prominent than ever; Elder one mass 

 of blossom. 



Birds singing: Skylark, Chaffinch, Greater Whitethroat, Tree 

 Pipit (one can watch and listen to this Pipit at any time with 

 enjoyment and pleasure. It is one of my favourite wild birds; I do 

 so like to watch those curious song-flights, and the bird's entertaining 

 manner, to say nothing of the capivating melodies), Common Wren 

 (very noisy now, this diminutive bird), Hedge Sparrow, Willow Wren 

 (what a delicate little soloist in the woodland choir), Nightingale (not 

 uttering anything like the full song. I heard one start several times, 

 as if the whole song was about to be uttered, but after a few of those 

 long drawn-out notes the bird ceased singing and I do not expect to 

 hear it sing again this season), Robin, Blackcap (one particular bird 

 to-day sang the first few notes of the Tree Pipit's song ; until I spotted 

 the bird, I quite thought it was the Pipit, but seeing is believing), 

 Blackbird. 



Birds seen or heard : Greenfinch, Yellow Bunting (although I 

 listen with pleasure to the voice of this beautiful bird, I do not see 

 how one can include it as a song bird, as some writers do), Song 

 Thrush (seen in a terrible state of excitement, uttering its alarm 

 notes, and as he did so, exposing to view the yellow insides of the 

 beak), House Sparrow (I wonder whether we shall ever have a ramble 

 without having occasion to include this cosmopolitan bird), Pied 

 Wagtail (it is worth noting that on many occasions lately I have come 

 across this bird a great distance from water, and my opinion is that 



