THE UNIVERSAL FAMILY PAPER FOR INTER-COMMUNICATIONS ON 



NATURAL HISTORY-POPULAR SCIENCE-THINGS IN BENERAL. 



Conducted by WILLIAM KIDD, of Hammersmith,— 



Author op the Familiar and Popular Essays on "Natural History;" "British Song 

 Birds;" "Birds of Passage;" "Instinct and Reason;" "The Aviary," &c. 



"the OBJECT of our work is to make men WISER, WITHOUT obliging them to turn over folios and 



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



No. 22.— 1852. 



SATURDAY, MAY 29. 



Price l%d. 



Or, in Monthly Parts, Price Id. 



A MAY-DAY RAMBLE,— 

 NEAR TOTNES, DEVON. 



BY SAM. HANNAFORD, JUN. 



" Anna-Marie, love, up is the sun, 

 Anna-Marie, love, morn is begun, 

 Mists are dispersing, love, birds singing free, 

 Up in the morning, love, Anna-Marie." — Ivanhoe. 



"With all my heart do I enter into the 

 excellent idea suggested by the Editor of 

 the Public's " Own Journal" — that a short 

 description of the birds, flowers, &c. peculiar 

 to different localities, met with in one's daily 

 walks, will be most interesting ; and this 

 neighborhood being so rich in all the 

 productions of Nature, botanical, entomo- 

 logical, and ornithological, I purpose giving, 

 from time to time, some few rough notes, 

 which I trust may prove of sufficient interest 

 to induce others to follow my example. Let 

 us commence at once with a delightful 

 ramble which I have had this day— the first of 

 May. The morning was dull and overcast ; 

 but towards noon the sun shone forth in all 

 its glory, as it should do on May- day. And 

 sure 'twere a sin and a shame to remain at 

 home on such a day ; for " our human souls 

 cling to the grass and water brooks ; " so, tak- 

 ing Chaucer's advice — 



" Whan that the month of May 

 Is comen, and that I heare the foules sing, 

 And that the floures ginnen for to spring, 

 Farewell my booke, and my devotion ! " 



I was in less than five minutes amongst the 

 fields and hedgerows. Everything looked 

 fresh and beautiful after the rain which we 

 have had within the last few days, and the few 

 hours' sunshine had tempted out the spring 

 flowers to greet the " bridal of the year." 



" All nature laughs : the groves are fresh and 

 fair, 

 The sun's mild lustre warms the vital air." 



Pope. 



The hedges were covered with dog-violets 

 (Viola canina), and primroses (Primula 



vulgaris), which I never see without being 

 reminded of a beautiful remark of William 

 Howitt's on seeing a single one remaining 

 when all else had "faded and gone :" "A 

 solitary primrose still lingered here and 

 there in the cooler dells of the woods, like a 

 youth's gay thought in the bosom of earnest, 

 ardent manhood." The pretty yellow saxi- 

 frage (Chrysosplenium opposito -folium) and 

 tuberous moschatel (Adoxa moschatellina) 

 were still in flower : but the sweet violet 

 (Viola odorata) was nowhere to be seen now. 

 The broad-leaved garlic, Ramsons, or Ram- 

 sey (Allium ursinum), was soon discovered 

 by its offensive smell ; but there is some- 

 thing very graceful in its delicate white 

 flowers. On every old wall the shining 

 crane's bill (Geranium lucidum) was noticed, 

 and in all directions greater and lesser 

 stitchwort (Stellaria holostea and graminea), 

 which derive their generic names from 

 Stella, a star, on account of the corolla 

 spreading in the shape of a star. The 

 greater stitchwort, in common Avith many 

 other flowers, is called the cuckoo flower, 

 from its flowering about the time the cuckoo 

 arrives. The mealy guelder rose (Viburnum 

 lantana) too, was in bloom, and occasionally, 

 by roadsides, Sinapis arvensis, or charlock. 

 The copses were literally covered with the 

 beautiful blue flowers of Hyacinthus non 

 scriptus (bluebell, or harebell), as it is some- 

 times called : — 



" Shade-loving hyacinth! thou comest again, 

 And thy rich odors seem to swell the flow 

 Of the lark's song, the redbreast's lonely strain; 

 And the stream's tune — best sung where wild 



flowers blow, 

 And ever sweetest where the sweetest grow ! " 



which, intermingled with the early purple 

 orchis (Orchis mascula), and wood anemone 

 (Anemone nemorosd), formed a scene which 

 no pen can describe. 



"There was many a birclc singing, 



Alpes, and finches, and wodc* wales." 



Chaucer. 



Vol.!.— New Series. 



