12 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



the latter tree that gave it sanctity in the estimation of 

 the Druidical priests. 



I cannot enter into the botanical treasury of the dis- 

 trict, but it is rich in rare plants, and especially in 

 mosses. 



It is hard to say when the forest is most attractive, 

 though each season has its peculiar charms. It is cer- 

 tainly gayest in the spring, when the gorse with its 

 yellow bloom is mingled with the rich green of the fern, 

 and the glowing purple of the heather; while the wild 

 cherry, the mountain ash, and the hawthorn enliven the 

 woods with their fragrant blossoms, and many a " bank 

 whereon the wild thyme grows," is rendered brighter 

 with the graceful harebell, the yellow vetch (Vicia 

 lathyroidex) with its scarlet buds, the dog violet, and a 

 host of others. With the approach of autumn the 

 summer flowers have departed, but the woods are 

 steeped in a multiplicity of colours, blending into each 

 other with marvellous richness. Nor is even winter 

 without its special beauties. No one could walk in the 

 depth of the forest when, after a misty night accom- 

 panied with frost, every twig of sturdy oak and graceful 

 birch, every sprig of heather, or frond of withered fern, 

 or stalk of dry but feathery grass is clothed with particles 

 of ice, which glitter in the rays of the sun like diamonds, 

 without owning their admiration for a scene so fair. 



With the localities I have thus slightly sketched I 

 have been familiar from childhood. My home was 

 within ten minutes' walk of the forest, and as I could 

 there roam about with unrestrained freedom, it was my 

 favourite resort. Boyhood increased my attachment to 

 the wild scenes, and kindled a taste for natural history 

 which to the present day has been one of the sources of 



