A LITERARY, SCIENTIFIC, AND INSTRUCTIVE FAMILY PAPER. 



Conducted by WILLIAM KIDD, of Hammersmith,— 



Author of the Familiar and Popular Essats on "Natural History;" "Biutish. Song 



Birds;" "Birds op Passage;" "Instinct and Reason;" 



" The Aviary and its Occupants," &c. 



"the OBJECT op our work is to make men WISER, without obuginq them to turn over folios and 



QUARTOS.— TO FURNISH MATTER FOR THINKING AS WELL AS READING."— EVELYN. 



No. 18. —1852. 



SATURDAY, MAY I.- 



Price l$d. 



Or, in Monthly Parts, Price Id. 



COUNTRY RAMBLES.* 



No. I.— HANGER HILL, TWYFORD 

 WILLESDEN, &c. 



ABBEY, 



How sweet it is to rise before the sun; 

 Then make a breakfast of the morning dew, 

 Sorv'd up by Nature on some grassy hill ! 



Is it UOt NECTAR? 



Such were our sleeping, — such were 

 our waking thoughts on Saturday, the 10th 

 ultimo. We breathed them, confidentially, 

 in our Publisher's ear, which caused him to 

 start from his seat. 



" Are you in earnest ?" said he ; " and do 

 I rightly understand the look of your speak- 

 ing eye ? Are you going for a country ramble 

 soon ; and am I to accompany you ? Then 

 will my pleasing dream, too, come true ! " 



Here was " sympathetic affection" for a 

 ramble ! 



We have before remarked, that we and 

 our Publisher are kindred, genial spirits ; it 

 will be readily surmised therefore, that we 

 were not long in fixing a day for our ramble 

 — that day was Tuesday, April 13. We 

 shall long remember it ; and we wish the Pub- 

 lic to remember it too, and to ramble where 

 we rambled. May they be as happy as we 

 were ! 



Having no great liking for the haunts 

 frequented by Easter holiday folk, we shaped 

 our course where we were well assured we 

 should be unmolested ; and at an early hour 

 we found ourselves en route, and wending our 

 way across Turnham Green Common. 



The sun rose kindly on us ; and though 

 certain mists obscured the horizon, yet we 



* There are many of our readers who re- 

 side in very picturesque localities, and who must, 

 during the coming seasons of spring, summer, 

 and autumn, have many pleasing rambles. Let 

 us invoke from them a short contribution now 

 and then, with a description of the flowers and 

 birds peculiar to their respective localities, and 

 which they may have observed during their 

 walks. We to-day set the example.— Ed. K. J. 



felt sure that we should be blessed with a 

 fine day. Our faith was honored in its fullest 

 extent, and our glorious companion, the Sun, 

 kept us company from "morn till noon, from 

 noon till dewy eve." 



We may just mention, that the good lady 

 of his house had very kindly provided our 

 companion, for our joint benefit, with some 

 most savory and admirably-concocted pates \ 

 leaving nothing for us to do in this way, 

 save to eat and to praise. In this matter we 

 came no way behind ; for when we are abroad, 

 we are very children, both in appetite and 

 in feeling. 



The first thing that greeted us on our pro- 

 gress,was a family of goslings, newly entered 

 into life. These were followed by another ! 

 and another ! ! What a sweetly pretty sight it 

 was, to observe how, at this tender age, some 

 of them would lie stretched out at full 

 length, basking in the sun's rays — enjoying 

 nature quite as much as ourselves ! Their 

 parents, too ! how fondly they eyed their 

 infant progeny, and stood by to shelter them 

 from the attack of a passing dog, or other 

 enemy ! Whilst " chewing the cud" of these 

 pleasing thoughts, and commenting thereon, 

 we found ourselves passing the rural cottage 

 of the late Sir John Sebright, on Acton Green 

 Common. We could not help observing the 

 present miserable aspect of this place, by 

 comparison with what it was when Sir John 

 lived! His beautiful pigeons and fancy 

 fowls, his elegant bantams, and choice farm 

 stock, had altogether vanished. Cleanliness 

 and comfort had given way to filthiness and 

 misery. We thought of the kind welcome 

 and hospitality which we had in times gone 

 by experienced here, and passed on. 



Proceeding up the lane, and a very few 

 doors further than the spot we have just 

 been speaking of (on the right), we stopped 

 to admire a very prettily-arranged garden. 

 Neatness was marked upon the garden and 

 its owner. The latter modestly peeped out ; 

 and hearing us speak in praise of a most 

 beautiful wall-flower in full blossom, with the 



Vol. I. New Series. 



