MU. T. SOUTHWELL ON MU. MARSHALS “INDICATIONS OF SPRING.” 251 
take place after the 8th of April. The Kooks which were busy 
building on the 20th of February did not hatch till the 13th of April. 
The Swallow delayed its appearance till the 21st of that month, 
and it was not till the 11th of May that the first bloom of the 
Hawthorn appeared. 
1893 opened with very severe weather, and much snow, which 
lasted till the 22nd of January, when it became mild and humid ; 
this type of weather continued till the end of February. The first 
half of March was very bright and warm, but after that time the 
nights became exceedingly cold, seriously checking vegetation, 
which up to that time was in a very forward condition. Of the 
April which followed, Mr. Preston remarks, that it “will long be 
remembered for its warmth and bright sunshine as well as for its 
almost unbroken dryness; it was the warmest April since 1874, 
and the driest for more than half a century.” Out of 2G observa- 
tions 19 were earlier and 7 later than the average, but the 
features of the year were the exceptionally early leafing of the Beech 
(April 2nd), the earliest of 117, and of the Maple (March 12th), 
earliest of GO observations. It is difficult to account for these very 
early occurrences, but it may have been duo to conditions prevailing 
in the previous Autumn, favouring the ripening of the wood and 
preparing the leaf-buds for the forcing action of the exceptionally 
lino weather which prevailed during February and the first half of 
March, fo» certainly up to that date there was little to check their 
progress. The Birch, Elm, Chestnut, Hornbeam, Hawthorn 
llowering, Mountain Ash, Oak, and Lime, were all very early, 
especially tho three last, but the Hawthorn leafing was eight days, 
and tho Sweet Chestnut six days later than usual. It is, however, 
worthy of remark that though the Hawthorn was not in leaf till 
the 18th of March, so forcing became the weather that it flowered 
on the 22nd of April, and several other events were accelerated in 
like manner. The Rooks which commenced building on the 
25th of January, a month earlier than usual, had not hatched till 
the 5th of April, which was only five days earlier than their 
average for 118 records. 
1894, although a fairly early year, does not call for very special 
notice. The only remarkable incident is the date on which 
the Toads and Frogs commenced their amorous notes, viz., 
February 22nd, just a month earlier than the average of 
