NOVEMBER. 295 



The Oats are up three or four inches high now, and the fresh 

 green gives a very pleasant appearance as against the brown and 

 yellow Autumn tints. 



Turning off out of the main road, and up a well-wooded private 

 drive quite a pandemonium was to be heard amongst the feathered 

 occupants in the Firs, Brambles, and Rhododendrons. Jays were 

 shrieking, Nuthatches calling, Chaffinches "pinking," Great Tits 

 scolding, and the Robin uttering its clicking notes. Nothing reminded 

 me of Spring this morning so much as the liveliness and activity of 

 the birds, especially the Titmice. 



The Ivy is heading up very conspicuously now, and the male 

 blossom buds of the Nut Hazel are to be seen. 



Many Rabbits scampered out of the tangled grasses skirting the 

 woods, and one or two black ones were noted. The pliant Silver 

 Birch is very attractive just now, also the dried brown clumps of the 

 Hornbeam, which retains its foliage throughout the Winter. On a 

 farmhouse quite a quantity of delicate pink Roses were in bloom, 

 and our last note to-day is to the effect that, although we ramble 

 miles each week over public field paths and lanes, it is rare we meet a 

 living soul. Has the country side no attraction for these stay-at- 

 homes r 



26th. Misty early, but Spring-like later. A beautiful sunrise. 

 Hedge Sparrow singing cheerily. 



27th. Another exquisite sunrise. Again fine and bright. 



A correspondent at Leatherhead writes me that he to-day saw a 

 Red Admiral Butterfly flying about. This is certainly a late occurrence. 



28th. Gusty and raining, but by no means cold. Starlings 

 singing gaily in the garden. They come regularly each day now. 



29th. Again blustering and raining. 



30th. More open and bright, but not cold. Lark and Robin 

 silent; the former seems to have gone right off song again Only 

 fancy, another month to go and the nineteenth century this wonder- 

 ful century, as Alfred Russel Wallace so truly says and proves in his 

 wonderful book will be no more. We are almost on the threshold 

 of the twentieth century. What changes time has wrought, what 

 greater changes will still be wrought in the future ! We live in a 

 wonderful age, indeed. Telephones, telegraphs, motors, cinemato- 

 graphs, biographs, electricity, photography, and many another 



