374 I*HE NURSERY. 



WATCHING THE BIRDS. 



This will now be a moft important work. The 

 firft fown Firs and Larches will juft be breaking 

 the ground, or briering with the hufks of the feeds 

 flill on their tops, a crifis mofl inviting to the 

 chaffinch, the green linnet or green grofbeak, the 

 red linnet or greater redpole, the yellow-hammer, 

 and even the fky-lark. Not one of thefe is therefore 

 to be allowed to alight upon the beds : nor, in- 

 deed, ought any other bird. This will require 

 attention from the break of day to funfet, with- 

 out intermiflion, till the plants throw off the 

 hufks. This is certainly a hard part of the nurfe- 

 Tyman's duty 5 but it is a mofl indifpenfable one. 



DESTROYING MICE. 



After Acorns, Chefnuts, Beech-maft, Hazles, 

 Nuts or Fir feeds, have briered, mice are no long, 

 er to be dreaded as enemies to them. In refpeft 

 to thefe, therefore, the nurferyman's anxiety and 

 labour may for fome time be difpenfed with ; and, 

 whoever has had experiehce of the tafk, will think 

 it high time. 



HfbEING AND CLEANING. 



The rifmg weeds, on every hand, will be call- 

 ing loudly for the application of the hoe, This 



is 



