far the most abundant and characteristic
as well as beautiful & familiar species. The
Herring Gulls were common. Of the Lesser black
backs & Mew Gulls I saw only three or four
each.
  The first & only land bird thus far seen is
the House Sparrow. There were two males in
the Custom House chattering & squawking among
the rafters. Their notes shriller than our
birds. I have seen none in the streets.
It took two hours to get our luggage
examined. We then took a cab and
drove to the North western Hotel.
  Took a short walk before & after dinner.
Saw huge crabs & small lobsters & oysters
in a street stall. Hamburg grapes 3 s. [shillings] per 
lb. [pound] Strawberries plenty rather large & of
much finer flavor than ours, 15 [?]
small basket. Street cars drawn by
3 horses, a pair & one leader. Seats on
roof back to back. Streets crowded. Broad
daylight at 9 P.M., twilight at 10 P.M.
June 21 Liverpool.
  Cloudless but very hazy or smoky,
uncomfortably warm in the sun, just
pleasantly cool in the shade.
  Spent the morning writing in the
hotel. After lunch (at 2 P.M.) started
on the top of a tram car with C. & E. for
the Botanic Gardens. Amazed to find
none of business blocks or dwelling houses
over 2 1/2 stories the majority 2 stories.
Everything is of brick or stone.
  The gardens were attractive & tastefully
laid out. Tall hedges of hawthorne separated
areas of turf studded with flower beds.
The turf is almost wholly free from weeds
& very dense & soft. It is sprinkled with
daisies & buttercups in places. I detected
only one plantain leaf. There were trees
in clusters, mostly hawthorns with pink
flowers in clusters or single layer white
flowers. Many rhododendrons, all pink
flowering. Foliage of trees dark & sooty
probably smoke stained. Loam in