12 Rejwrt of Meetings for 1879, by James Hardy. 



is a good liorse-cliestmit in the inner grounds ; and a stUl finer 

 one below the post-road ; both this season most profuse in blos- 

 som. The old garden was in front of the house, and was much 

 nicer than the present, which has a tenacious damp soil, in con- 

 sequence of which the fruit trees were full of lichens. There 

 were some good old perennials in the borders, which are said to 

 have enjoyed a long tenancy. Among others noticed were 

 Solomon's Seal ; Pulmonaria virginica then in lively blossom ; the 

 Crown Imperial in flower; Physalis Alkekengi (Winter Cherry), 

 which had been brought from Northumberland ; Anchusa semper- 

 mrens, here called " Eorget-me-not ;" Fritillaria Meleagris, nick- 

 named " Ugly face ;" Anthericum Liliaster ; and the scarlet- 

 flowered Ourisia cocctnea. A species of garden-spurge was 

 observed coming up like a weed, but it was in too infantile a 

 condition for determination. Among the salads grow some 

 plants of Spignel, or Meum athamanticum, not a common garden 

 plant. The ivy here, as elsewhere, was still loaded with berries, 

 which the birds had left untouched, their winter's distress arising 

 from the continuance of extreme cold rather than the lack of 

 food. 



The holly-leaves, even as early as our visit, were much de- 

 formed by the Maggot of Phytomyza Ilicis. Despite the winter's 

 severity, there was here, as elsewhere, a great plague of slugs 

 dui'ing the spring and summer. 



In the dean below the house, which has been natively rendered 

 gay by the Lychnis dioica, there has been planted out a profusion 

 of hyacinth-harebells of garden sorts, and also Doronicum planta- 

 gineum. The woods and shrubbery are quite a sanctuary for 

 birds. Thrushes so much reduced in numbers elsewhere were in 

 full song here ; blackbirds were fairly numerous ; and some 

 weeks after fly-catchers and robins were busy in their old 

 haunts ; the hard-billed sorts not having met with disaster, need 

 not be specified. The rooks, although noisy during the day. 

 settle down quietly at night ; but they snore in their sleep, which 

 may not be altogether agreeable to a stranger who has been told 

 that the house, like most old mansions, has a haunted room. 



The most ancient part of the house is a peel-tower, which is 

 still in its entirety, and though occupied, Mrs Coulson, the aged 

 owner, has done all in her power to keep it as it was three hun- 

 dred years ago. Over the door, which is at the N.W. corner, is 



