304 COUNTRY RAMBLES. 



many small "Jack" and a few Dace. There are many Perch here, 

 too, but they run to no size. The village is named after the river 

 Colne, and as there is a heath or common there, too, we get to Colney 

 Heath. Why the 4< y" was ever added, goodness only knows. A 

 little distance off there is another village on the Colne, and on the 

 main London road; this is known as London Colney; whilst yet a 

 little farther is another village, also on the Colne, known as Colney 

 Street. On the village school at London Colney we observed in now 

 faded flowers the following words, evidently put up with pride by the 

 village lads and lasses: "All honour to our brave soldiers." I wonder 

 how many soldiers of the King (if any) have seen that simple motto 

 on the schoolhouse in that quiet Hertfordshire village. On the 

 schoolmaster's house Yellow Jasmine was blooming freely, and our 

 concluding note to-day is to the effect that, have caressed some horses 

 to-day when traversing across some park land, we feel we cannot do 

 better than write as in schoolboy's days: "The Horse is a noble 

 animal." 



10th. White frost last night. Colder this morning, and brighter. 



11th. Fine. Robin and Hedge Sparrow singing. A friend who 

 has just returned from a sea-fishing trip at Deal tells me that down 

 there Sprats are sold by the thousand, and a thousand average fish 

 should weigh thirty-seven pounds, or rather it should be said that 

 they are sold in thirty-seven pound lots, which are supposed to include 

 somewhere about one thousand fish. 



12th. Clearer; not so damp and dismal. About a dozen Jack- 

 daws went over my house just after it was light this morning, towards 

 the South, calling loudly. Starlings noisy. Robins and House Sparrows 

 in the garden, the latter trying to skirmish round the meat bone which 

 is now hung up for the Tits. These birds do not seem in a hurry to 

 visit us this Winter, but so soon as we have any real hard weather 

 doubtless we shall be amused and interested by their pranks as they 

 cling to the suspended bone. Raining at night. 



13th. Raining. Very dark morning. Robin singing; also Hedge 

 Sparrow and Song Thrush. 



14th. Clearer and brighter. I was somewhat astonished to-day to 

 find a good deal of Green Fly on my Rose trees. 



15th. -A very beautiful pink and blue sky in the East first thing. 

 Windy, and the air much clearer. Showery, but brilliant sunshine in 

 between. 





