30 Woodside. 



siderable total. At last this was set right by the day after 

 September 2nd, 1752, being called September 14th. The next 

 year, of course, what would have been, under the old calcula- 

 tion, May 1st was now May 12th, and May-day arrived eleven 

 days earlier than in the previous year. But these few days 

 make a great difference in the development of the hawthorn 

 bloom, and although in average years now "may" can 

 generally be found on the twelfth, it is very rarely indeed 

 that it can be found on the first of May. 



In this thick-set bush that we have been examining so 

 carefully, and around which we have been gossiping so long, 

 we now discover something. Protected by an endless number 

 of sharp thorny spikes, in the centre of .the thickly twined 

 branches, carefully concealed from the most observant eye, 

 is a bird's nest. Neatly made of hay outside, skilfully 

 plastered inside with a thin coating of mud, smoothed with 

 exquisite skill by the breast of the careful builder, dry and 

 hard now by exposure, is a thrush's nest. In it are five 

 beautiful blue eggs, finely spotted with black about their 

 broader ends, and we know that in a few days the words of 

 the poet will be realized 



" Within the milk-white hawthorn bush, 

 Among her nestlings sits the thrush." 



No wonder the mother bird yonder has been so fidgety, now 

 coming nearer, then retreating. Well, we have kept her in a 

 state of excitement long enough, and will move off. 



The Park stretches invitingly before us, but we have other 

 objects of interest in view ; we walk through the grass, but 

 we are too early yet to disturb the Crambus or grass moths, 

 which, with their wings carefully folded round a grass stem, 

 mimic a node exactly, but later they will abound here ; then 



