KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



41 



being alone visible as they bow before every 

 fanning breeze. The oats are whitening 

 apace, and quiver, each individual grain in 

 its light stem, as they hang like rain-drops 

 In the air. 



Now is the season for wandering abroad 

 to revel amid the wild flowers, whose deli- 

 cate beauties are unfolding every hour. Of 

 these, what can exceed the loveliness of the 

 wild thyme, which exhales its rich aromatic 

 odors as you press it with your feet ? or 

 the elegant heath-bell, so often bearing the 

 wild thyme company, as it nods its half- 

 dependent head from its almost invisible 

 stem ? The perpetual motion of this inno- 

 cent flower, at the slightest breath of air, 

 gives it the look of some living thing hover- 

 ing on invisible wings just above the ground. 



In the hedge-rows may now be seen wild 

 flowers in abundance. These are too nume- 

 rous to specify; but among some of the 

 prettiest are the red and white Convolvulus, 

 the various-colored Vetches, and the En- 

 chanter's Deadly Nightshade. The Vetches, 

 in particular, are exquisitely fashioned, hav- 

 ing wings like the pea, only smaller. The 

 Nightshade is equally elaborate in its con- 

 struction, aye, and as beautiful, with its 

 rich purple petals turned back to expose a 

 centre of deep yellow. But, with all its 

 beauty, it has a sinister look, which at 

 once denotes it to be a poison-flower. It is 

 this which afterwards turns to those hand- 

 some clustering bunches of scarlet berries, 

 which hang so seducingly tempting in 

 Autumn before the eyes of children — many 

 of whom, despite the advice of their old 

 grannies, persist in tasting, and get, like our 

 Mother Eve, sorely punished for their 

 grave offence. 



We might go rambling on for a week, 

 whilst on the subject of flowers and walks 

 in the fields. Nor are flowers the only 

 seasonable attraction. Just now, the dif- 

 ferent tribes of insects, which, for the most 

 part, are hatched in the spring, are in all 

 the vigor and activity of life. To these we 

 must now listen, instead of to the voices 

 of the birds, who are fast declining in song. 

 What sound was that? It proceeds from 

 the gnats, who, with their " murmuring 

 small trumpets," are buzzing happily around 

 us, accompanied by — 



Flies, 

 Whose woven wings the Summer dyes, 

 Of many colors. 



The grasshopper too, is now chirping his 

 merry note — 



From hedge to hedge, about the new-mown 



mead, 

 When all the birds are faint with the hot sun, 

 And hide in cooling trees. 



But we are exceeding our due limits. Let 



us therefore once more advise a visit to 

 the hedgerows without delay. On the banks 

 are now visible multitudes of the most ex- 

 quisite little flowers. Amiably secluded 

 among their low leaves, they lie like minute 

 morsels of many-colored glass, scattered 

 upon the green ground — ■ scarlet, and sap- 

 phire, and rose, and purple, and white, and 

 azure, and golden. But pick them up, and 

 bring them towards your eye; you will find 

 them pencilled with a thousand dainty de- 

 vices, and elaborated into the most exqui- 

 site forms and fancies. Every way fit are 

 they to be strung into necklaces for the 

 fairy Titania, or set in brooches and brace- 

 lets for the neatest-handed of her nymphs. 

 Who can paint like Nature ? 



ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



What Animal is it that perforates the Nests 

 of Birds, and afterwards removes the Eggs ? — 

 The depredation so graphically described at 

 page 11, vol. ii., of your Journal, I believe to 

 have been committed by a rat. I have, myself, 

 known similar instances of the destruction of 

 eggs. Cats seldom eat eggs. Once, I remember 

 the circumstance of a cat having watched daily, 

 and patiently waited, until the young birds in 

 a blackbird's nest were hatched. She then im- 

 mediately devoured them. Weasels do not make 

 holes through a nest; and, had they sucked them 

 in the case now under consideration, they would 

 assuredly have left the shells behind them. — 

 William Yarrell. 



Danger arising from disturbing Bees.— I send you, 

 dear Mr. Editor, the account of a curious circum- 

 stance that has just occurred at Guilleville, Eure- 

 et-Loire. It may, perhaps, serve as a " reminder" 

 to many, not to venture too close to a colony of 

 bees. 'It seems a small farmer had in a field about 

 250 beehives, containing a vast number of bees, 

 and that he sent a man with a cart, drawn by 

 five horses, to remove some earth from a wall 

 near which the hives were placed. The carter, 

 having occasion to go to the farm-house, tied the 

 horses to a tree. Almost immediately after, a 

 multitude of bees, either irritated at the shaking 

 of their hives by the removal of the earth from 

 the wall, or excited by the electricity with which 

 the atmosphere happened to be charged, issued 

 from their hives, as if in obedience to a given 

 signal, and with great fury attacked the horses. 

 In an instant the poor animals were entirely 

 covered with bees from head to foot ; even their 

 nostrils were filled with them. When the carter 

 returned, he found one of the horses lying dead 

 on the ground, and the others rolling about 

 furiously. His cries attracted several persons. 

 One of them attempted to drive away the bees • 

 but they attacked him, and he had to plunge 

 into a pond, and even to place his head under 

 water for a few seconds, in order to escape from 

 them. The cur£ of Guilleville also attempted to 

 approach the horses, but he, too, was put to flight 

 by the enraged insects. At length two fire- 

 engines were sent for, and by pumping on the 



