6$ APRIL. 



the romantic defiles of the Trosachs ; ranging 

 themselves stem above silver}' stem up the rocky 

 heights, they present a lovely aspect. Those of 

 the Tacamahac hang large and abundant, and 

 with the young, unfolding leaves diffuse a fine 

 aromatic odour. The ash-trees are quite black 

 with their large conglomerated buds, which gra- 

 dually unfold themselves into tufts of fibres, 

 whence the keys afterwards depend. The al- 

 der too is covered, as in the end of last month, 

 with its dark bunches: and the elm is perfectly 

 shrouded in its hop-like blossoms till the end of 

 May. The flowering of this tree, so striking 

 and beautiful, yet so little noticed by poets, has 

 been introduced into some beautiful lines refer- 

 ring to this season — 



When daisies blush, and windflowers wet with dew ; 

 When shady lanes with hyacinths are blue ; 

 When the elm blossoms o'er the brooding bird, 

 And wild and wide the plover's wail is heard ; 

 ^Vhen melts the mist on mountains far away, 

 Till morn is kindled into brightest day. 



Author of" Corn-Law Rhymes." 



But perhaps the most delightful of all the 

 features of this month are the return of mi- 

 gratory birds, and the commencement of build- 

 ing their nests. Not only the swallow tribe, 

 the cuckoo, and the nightingale, whose arrival 

 is noticed by almost everybody, but scores of 

 other old acquaintances suddenly salute you in 



