222 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEA.LIST. 



were fluttering about and singing joyously 

 as though to welcome the return of spring, 

 and certainly enough to make one forget 

 his wordly cares for a time. While I 

 stood listening for some twenty minutes or 

 more I recognised the song of the Black- 

 bird and thush [Turdus merulcu and musicus) 

 the robin [Erythaca. rubecula), the hedge 

 sparrow {accentor modularis), the chaf- 

 finch {FHngilla ccsleds), the chiffchaff and 

 garden warbler {Sylvia ruf a and lioj'tensis) , 

 and the blue tit {Parus cceruieus). Here 

 I found some very large specimens of the 

 red campion {Lychnis diurni) at the edge, 

 and inside the broom {Cytisus scojmrius) and 

 the marsh and dog violets ( Viola palustris 

 and canina). A few yards past the wood a 

 field on the opposite side was quite gay 

 with the yellow flowers of the cowslip 

 {Primula veris), and while I stood admiring 

 the splendid view seen from here, a green- 

 veined white butterfly {Pieris napi), went 

 floating by. Another half mile brought me 

 to a bank resplendant with the flowers of 

 the primrose {Primula vulgaris), with a few 

 cowslips {P. veris) interspersed ; the dog 

 violet {V. canina), and the germander speed- 

 well ( Veronica cliamcedrys) were also abun- 

 dant, with a few flowers of the lesser clover 

 {Trifolium minus), here and there. While 

 gathering a few primroses I disturbed a pair 

 of the greater whitethroats {Sylvia cinerea ), 

 in the hedge above, and on looking there 

 found their nearly completed nest ; here I 

 saw a common white (P. rajxs) skipping 

 about from flower to flower. Near Ombers- 

 ley, on a dry sunny bank, I found half-a- 

 dozen flowers of the alkanet {Anchusa offici- 

 nalis), this is rather a rare plant, and is the 

 first time I have met with it. The banks 

 along the road were smothered in some 

 places with the flowers of the dogs mercury 

 {Mercurialis perennis), the barren straw- 

 berry {Potentilla frigariastruvi), and the 

 crosswort {Galium cruciatum), and occasion- 

 ally a few flowers of the mouse-ear {Ceras- 



tium vulgatv/ni) and the common shepherds 

 purse {oapsella hursa-pastoris) , and on the 

 sides of ditches the common bitter cress 

 {Cardamine Mrsuta). Most of the fields 

 along the roadside were covered with the 

 Ladies smock {0. pratensis), three of the 

 buttercups, the bulbous, creeping and mea- 

 dow {Ranunculus lulbosus, repens and acris), 

 the daisy {belUs perennis) , and the dandelion 

 {Leontodon taraxacum), while the lesser 

 wood rush (Luzula campestris) abounded 

 everywhere. At Ombersley, the horse ches- 

 nuts {^sculus Jiippocastanum) and lilacs 

 were smothered with blossoms, and the 

 whitethorn {Cratcegus oxyacantha) was 

 covered with buds just opening. About a 

 mile past Ombersley brought me to a small 

 hill, up which I started, half-way up stood 

 a large rookery, containing upwards of fifty 

 nests, close to a stile leading to a farmhouse. 

 While I was sitting on the stile a farmer 

 came across the fields and when he opened 

 the gate nearly all the rooks got off their 

 nests, fluttered about and cawed very loudly 

 until the gate was shut, when they all 

 settled down. As I was sitting here I heard 

 the welcome note of the cuckoo {Cuculus 

 canorus) some half-dozen times, this was the 

 first I have heard this season, but later on 

 in the day I heard one or two more and saw 

 a swift {Hio'undo apus) fly past. In a field 

 near the stile I found a few plants of the 

 sheep sorrell {Rumex acetosella) in flower. 

 After concluding my business at Ombersley, 

 I started to walk to Worcester, some six 

 miles distant. As I got near there, I noticed 

 the whitethorn in full flower in several 

 places, and also a few flowers of the cuckoo 

 in the hedgerows. When I got to Worces- 

 ter I felt a little tired, but after " refresh- 

 ing the inner man," and a wash, I felt quite 

 fresh again ; had a stroll round the town, 

 caught the 5.30 express back to Birmingham, 

 and arrived there at half-past six, feeling 

 a great deal better for my day's outing in 

 the green lanes and fields. 



