FIELD DIARY. 121 



7th. Sweet-scented violet, purple and white ( Viola odoraia, var. pur* 

 purea et alba) in flower. Observed a few yellow crocuses peeping 

 between the leaves. 



9th. Observed at nine o'clock this morning the wind was east, a dense 

 fog — from eleven to one o'clock sunny, an upper current of clouds 

 coming- from the west, an under current from the south-east ; at two 

 o'clock rain commenced and continued till sunset, when the wind had 

 changed to the south-west. 



10th. Heard a thrush (Turdus musicus) singing. 



14th. This day (St. Hilary's) is said, on an average of years, to be 

 the coldest, but to- day the weather has been particularly fine and mild. 

 I heard this morning a blackbird (Turdus merula), a sky-lark (Alauda 

 arvensis), singing; observed a snow-drop (Galanthus nivalis), blue 

 hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), and many crocuses in flower. 



15th. Heart's ease ( Viola tricolor), furze ( Ulex Europceus), in flower ; 

 wren (Sylvia troglodytes), singing ; moles throwing up their heaps of 

 fresh earth. 



24th. Common laurel (Prunus lauro-cerasus), hazel (Corylus avel- 

 lana), in flower. 



25th. Saw some toads' (Nana bufo) spawn, many dung flies (Scato- 

 phaga stercoraria), common house-flies and gnats in numbers. Elm, 

 ( Ulmus campestris), dandelion (Leontodon taraxacum), phillyrea (var. 

 latifolia) and countless daisies (Bellis perennis), in flower. Heard the 

 ground sea particularly loud through the day * ; this phenomenon 

 (which has not been satisfactorily accounted for) generally precedes 

 heavy rain and high wind. 



27th. Observed pilewort (Ranunculus ficarid), creeping crowfoot 

 {Ranunculus reptans), in flower ; honeysuckle (Caprifolium pericly- 

 menuni), and elder (Sambucus niger), in leaf. 



28th. Blue tit (Parus ccsruleus), chirping ; Corcorus Japonica, pur- 

 ple and striped crocuses, and double -blossomed furze, in flower. 



29th. Arabis grandijlora in flower. Observed on the branch of a 

 larch {JPinus larix), in a warm and sheltered situation, some leaves just 

 in the state of forwardness they generally are the last week in March, 

 or first week in April. 



30th. Saw a large elm felled, which was covered with flowers. 



31st. Observed two gulls for the first time this winter. Very few 

 fieldfares and redwings have visited us as yet ; but to-day I saw a larger 



* Grilston is about eighteen miles distant from the coast. 

 VOL. II.— NO. III. R 



