The Moucher s Calendar 129 



square from the green by the roadside. These are 

 in great request for larks, especially at this time 

 of the year, when they begin to sing with all their 

 might 



Large flocks of woodpigeons are now in every 

 field where the tender swede and turnip tops are 

 sprouting green and succulent. These ' tops ' are 

 the moucher's first great crop of the year. The 

 time that they appear varies with the weather : in a 

 mild winter some may be found early in January ; if 

 the frost has been severe there may be none till 

 March. These the moucher gathers by stealth ; 

 he speedily fills a sack, and goes off with it to the 

 nearest town. Turnip-tops are much more in demand 

 now than formerly, and the stealing of them a more 

 serious matter. This trade lasts some time, till the 

 tops become too large and garden greens take their 

 place. 



In going to and fro the fields the moucher 

 searches the banks and digs out primrose ' mars/ and 

 ferns with the root attached, which he hawks from 

 door to door in the town. He also gathers quantities 

 of spring flowers, as violets. This spring [1879], 

 owing to the severity of the season, there were prac- 

 tically none to gather, and when the weather mo- 

 derated the garden flowers preceded those of the 



K 



