Natural Calendar of Coincidence. 19 



immediately connected with my present purpose, are some 

 remarks by Mr. Lees (Vol. I. p. 200.), who suggests the idea 

 of forming " a calendar by which the flowering of a plant 

 should acquaint us with the appearance of a bird, and the ap- 

 pearance of an insect tell us the flowering of a plant." The 

 plan proposed by Mr. Lees, strikes me as one full of interest 

 to a lover of nature. Something of the kind, some aflinity, 

 connection, or coincidence, between the several occurrences in 

 one department of natural history and those in another, must 

 almost unavoidably have presented itself to the mind of the 

 most transient observer. I wish you, or some one of your 

 correspondents, would take the hint, and construct such a 

 calendar. In the mean time, till some one better qualified for 

 the task presents himself, I beg to offer to your notice the follow- 

 ing sketch, by way of specimen. Of course a calendar of this 

 kind may be filled up and enlarged to almost any extent. The 

 following is proposed as a mere outline, I am aware a very 

 imperfect one, of the sort of thing intended, and contains only 

 a few of the different occurrences in nature, which happen to 

 have more particularly and forcibly struck my own mind as 

 coinciding with each other. When I speak of such natural 

 occurrences coinciding^ it is not meant that they fall exactly on 

 the same day of the month ; it is quite enough for our purpose, if 

 they take place about the same time, if the things placed parallel 

 to each other in the two columns are usually in season toge- 

 ther. The arrival and departure of birds, the appearance of 

 insects, and the flowering of plants, will in each year depend, 

 in some degree, on the weather ; and a variation of at least a 

 fortnight or more may fairly be calculated upon, according to 

 the forwardness or backwardness of the season. No greater 

 precision of date, therefore, is attempted, than such as may 

 be attained by noting the beginning, the middle, and the end 

 of the month. The Linnean names of insects are for the 

 most part employed below, which being generally understood^ 

 and perhaps more popular, seem better adapted to the present 

 purpose, than the improvements of modern nomenclature. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 

 Allesley Rectory, Sept. 25. W. T. Bree. 



In the following Calendar, beg. mid. end, stand for the beginning, the 

 middle, and the end of the month ; ap. appears ; fl. flowers. 



January. 

 ^. , ( Earthworms lie out - - ^elleborus niger fl. 



' \ Phalae'na primaria - - Galanthus nivalis fl. 



p , ( Titmouse sings _ - . Hazel catkins open. 



*^"'*'t^>ismellificaap. - - - J^. hyemalis (Eranthis h.) fl. 



C 2 . 



