Seasonal Notes 



411 



It is known as the Velvet-stem. The pileus varies from 

 1 to 3 inches in diameter, and is usually yellow and some- 

 what sticky. The gills are pale opaque yellow, stem 2 to 3 

 inches long, always velvety dark brown or purple, paler 

 above. This species usually grows in tufts. 



Among the birds that sing in January, we may mention the 

 Song Thrush, Missel Thrush, Redbreast, Great Titmouse, and 

 Skylark. 



The following wild flowers may be found in flower during 

 the month : Shepherd's Purse, Groundsel, Gorse, Primrose 

 (in sheltered spots and in very mild weather only), Common 

 Chickweed, Daisy, Red Deadnettle and White Deadnettle, 

 the Hellebores, and the male catkins of the hazel. Late in 

 the month the following may perhaps be found : Buxbaum's 

 Speedwell, Dog's Mercury, Coltsfoot, Annual Meadow Grass, 

 Dandelion, and Lesser Celandine. 



The retention of their dead leaves by certain trees is a 

 phenomenon which may now be observed with much interest. 

 Those who will turn back to our first number (May, 1906) 

 will see depicted two oak trees, exactly alike in age and 

 general conditions and standing close together, one of which is 

 thickly covered with leaves and the other wholly bare. At 

 the present date those two trees are again in precisely the 

 same condition as they were when the photograph was taken. 

 Thus it is shown that individual trees retain their peculiarities 

 in this matter. 



The Plane trees in our London squares, some of them, 

 keep a few brown leaves at the present time. These leaves 

 are invariably on the topmost twigs. In this feature they 

 resemble our birch trees and differ from our beeches. 



In one instance a single very large bough of a plane tree 

 was observed to retain its leaves in much greater abundance 

 than any other part of the tree. 



