218 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



Plantain, and the red berries of the White Bryony. There are quite a 

 lot of things showing red seeds and berries now, and it is also the 

 Gossamer season. It seems as it' it will be a good Walnut year, whilst 

 the Nut stems are loaded with fruit Many Wasps about; the rows 

 of Mangolds look all the better for the rains of the past few days; the 

 Bees busy to-day on the Thistle heads; and the Dragon-flies are out 

 and about. A pretty little Ladybird settled on my hand; we notice 

 the yellow wings and the seven black dots thereon, and set the crea- 

 ture at liberty again. Noticed an Adonis Blue Butterfly; how delicate 

 and lovely the Nature-painted beauty ; the seed-pods of the Meadow 

 Vetchling are very prominent now; also green cones on the Scotch 

 Fir. I noticed particularly to-day how the cones on the Spruce Fir 

 grow for the most part towards the top of the tree. Why is this ? The 

 new shoots of the Larch Fir are very beautiful now. 



13th. Bright and warm; over 100 degrees at 8 a.m. A friend 

 tells me that on the night of August 5th a Fox killed no less than 

 twenty-two Pheasants! 



14th. Still very hot; a repetition of the hot weather of some 

 days ago. Asters out nicely in the garden. Swallows twittering 

 pleasantly. Grouse shooting opened yesterday, the 12th being Sunday. 

 Birds were strong and plentiful, coveys large, and birds in better 

 plumage than last year. 



15th. Not so warm, but fine. Hedge Sparrows singing. I 

 never remember seeing so many bob-tailed House Sparrows 

 before. Bats about as early as 7.30 p.m. Rabbits on the frolic 

 in the fields skirting the woods. Many Mushrooms gathered. 

 Crickets chirping nightly. Dark at 8 p.m. Apples in garden almost 

 ready for eating. There are a number of what people call " Mosqui- 

 toes" about. These are not Mosquitoes at all, they are Banded 

 Gnats. Mosquitoes real Mosquitoes, if you like are nothing but 

 Gnats. There are eight English Gnats, and about half of them are 

 perfectly harmles. The male Insects cannot bite, it is the females 

 which do so. In hot weather there are always more Gnats about than 

 at any other time. 



16th. Bright, but nice gentle breezes. Skylark still silent. 



17th. Heavy dew early, afterwards bright and sultry; thundery. 

 Wild Ducks seen in Poulterers' shops. 



Following flowers in bloom in the garden : Asters, Sunflowers, 

 French Marigolds, Stocks, Flocks, Phloxs, Nasturtiums, Pinks (a few 



