208 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



Small Knapweed, Hop Trefoil, Cinquefoil, Cow Parsnip (mostly gone 

 to seed), Perforated St. John's Wort, Daisy, Herb Robert (what a 

 lengthy flowering season this Wild Geranium has), Agrimony, White 

 Clover, Meadow Vetchling, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Hedge Calamint, Tra- 

 veller's Joy, Upright Meadow Crowfoot, Betony, Harebell, Honeysuckle, 

 Silver Weed (first time included in our lists), Red Dead Nettle (surely 

 coming on bloom for the second time!) Shepherd's Purse (a similar 

 remark applies), Enchanter's Nightshade, Self Heal, Corn Mint, Money- 

 wort, Burdock, Avens, and Rest Harrow. It will be noticed that our 

 list is not nearly so long as a few weeks since. 



Birds singing: I think I have before remarked in this diary how 

 fallacious it is to lay down any hard and fast rule in the Natural 

 History world. I have to-day had a striking example of this, for I 

 have heard two or three Skylarks singing. I quite thought the song 

 period was off for a time, and I still think so, in spite of to-day's 

 jubilation. The songs listened to to-day were by no means well 

 sustained, yet they were uttered, and it is our duty to record the fact 

 in spite of previous remarks a few days since. Robin (gradually 

 resuming its Autumn song; nothing is more welcome at this season 

 than the notes of this Warbler). 



Bird seen or heard : Chaffinch (a few males together sporting 

 in the lane, and "pinking"), Yellow Bunting (still very noisy). 

 House Martin, House Sparrow (a few in the sheaves of corn, but not 

 the hundreds nor the thousands we are told play such havoc with 

 the grain), Swallow, Song Thrush (dibbing on the grass lands), 

 Hedge Sparrow (one or two bob-tailed), Spotted Flycatcher (saw at 

 least half a dozen of these birds this morning; three were perched 

 within a yard or two of one another, ever and anon darting off their 

 watch tower, capturing an insect and then back again), Turtle Dove 

 (disturbed one feeding in the wood; he got up and glanced through 

 the trees, then alighted on an old branch at the top of an Oak, where 

 we had a splendid view of him. This Dove seems an extremely 

 nervous and restless bird), Greenfinch (uttering its well-known note), 

 Starling (mostly in flocks now, and they are very silent now that the 

 nesting season is over), Carrion Crow, Ring Dove, Bullfinch (as I 

 was hiding in the wood a pair came flying right over me, uttering 

 their very plaintive and unmistakable note), Blackbird, Nuthatch 

 (uttering a shrill "wet-weet, wet-weet," and hard at work after the 

 insects on an Oak tree; how the buff breast harmonises with the 

 slaty-grey back), Tree Creeper (alighted on a tree in front of us as we 



