DECEMBER. 309 



The White Dead Nettle is still flowering freely. 



25th. Christmas Day, and what Christmas weather to be sure! 

 Fog and mist gone; much warmer; but still damp and miserable. 

 A green Christmas. Our only note to-day is that the Furze is rapidly 

 coming into full bloom. 



26th. Clearer and brighter; the very essence of Spring. Heavy 

 rains last night. Song Thrush singing, also Robin. 



27th. Very heavy rains again last night. Raining this morning; 

 very dark. Hedge Sparrow and Robin singing. Starlings very noisy. 

 A Skylark's egg was found to-day by Mr. Cockerills, market gardener, 

 at Avington, near Northampton. The gg was perfectly fresh. Sky- 

 larks are always very early birds to pair off. I have often noticed 

 them chasing one another and evidently on the look-out for partners 

 during the Winter months, and especially in early Spring. But birds 

 are peculiar, and one should never be surprised at their doings. 

 Indeed, variety is one of the characteristics which makes bird 

 life so fascinating a study, and, after all, eggs laid by birds during 

 December is not extraordinary or unaccountable. What of a Parrot, 

 which had been kept in solitary confinement for fifteen years, starting 

 to lay eggs, as was recently recorded on good authority? 



28th. -Rain during last night as heretofore, but fine to-day, and 

 very strong South-west gale blowing Colder. 



During the 19th century we in Great Britain have had to mourn 

 the loss of the Bittern, the Avocet, the Ruff, the Great Bustard, Savi's 

 Warbler, the Black-tailed Godwit, and the Black Tern; and it was 

 during the 19th century, too, that the last Great Auk was captured 

 in the British Isles, and became extirpated elsewhere. In the animal 

 world we have almost lost the Marten, the Polecat, and the old English 

 Black Rat, but one cannot speak with certainty, for it is extremely 

 difficult to prove these latter statements. We may still count the 

 Badger, the Otter, and the Wild Cat in our fauna, and may compli- 

 ment ourselves too, that in spite of the fact that we have lost in the 

 insect world the Large Copper, the Swallow-tail, the Apollo, and 

 Mazarine Blue Butterflies, we have had the pleasure of noting the 

 re-appearance of the Camberwell Beauty and many rare Hawk Moths. 



29th. Wind dropped. Much colder and clearer. Skylark still 

 silent. Robin and Hedge Sparrow not singing continuously. Song 

 Thrush the noisiest bird just now. 



30th. Raining all day in torrents, but being the last day of the 



