276 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



here be mentioned. In October that is if it be fine and warm 

 some of the following species may be observed : Pale Clouded Yellow, 

 Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, Comma, Large Tortoiseshell, Small 

 Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Brown Hair- 

 streak, Small Copper, Common Blue, and Adonis Blue. In Novem- 

 ber and December Butterflies are met with very rarely, but on fine, 

 warm days some of the hibernating specimens may be seen, probably 

 those given in our notes at the early part of the year.* Thus, for 

 the present at least, our Butterfly notes draw to a close. 



16th. Wind dropped. Bright, beautiful morning. House Sparrows 

 quarrelling and fighting on the house tops. Hedge Sparrows still about 

 the garden; some singing. Skylark singing. The Robin seems rather 

 silent just lately. 



17th. Raining. Chaffinch "pinking" near the garden, and some 

 Starlings paid us a visit. Lark singing. 



18th. Bright, and not nearly so cold. Skylark, Robin, and Hedge 

 Sparrow singing. 



19th. -Bright, but cold winds. Starlings "singing," also Robin and 

 Lark. Chaffinch noisy. 



Lord Avebury, writing to me to-day as to my book, "A 

 Year with Nature," included in which is an illustrated article on 

 Birds' Beaks, says: "In the part on 'bills,' you omit the New Zealand 

 Hina, the only case I know where the male and female have bills of 

 a different shape." 



At this season Longfellow's lines are worth repeating: 

 "There is a beautiful spirit breathing now 

 Its mellow richness on the clustered trees; 

 And, from a beaker full of richer dyes 

 Pouring new glory on the Autumn woods." 



20th. Cold, but fine. Robin and Lark singing. Very large flocks 

 of House Sparrows on some waste ground in front of my house feeding 

 on Thistle and other obnoxious and hurtful weed seeds. 



21st. Bright, but cold early; heavy rains later. 



Flowers in bloom. Ragwort, Long-rooted Cat's Ear, Nipple- 

 wort, Yarrow, Groundsel, Scentless Mayweed, Shepherd's Purse, 

 Red Dead Nettle, Charlock, Dandelion, White Campion, Hop Trefoil, 

 Red Clover, White Clover, Field Scabious (quite as prominent now as 

 ever it was), Fool's Parsley, Germander Speedwell, Creeping Crow- 

 foot (just a flower or two lingers on), Sow Thistle, Heartsease, Self 



*I saw a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly to-day, December 13th, 1902. 



